Why hasn’t it been enforced?

We are about to install as president someone who thinks he will be our king. And he has brought along his nobles. But he has undermined our nation with a rebellion. Therefore, he is disqualified to hold the office. I have contacted our Senators and House Rep.

Below is a Substack letter from Carol Kocivar who explains it much better than I can. The idea is simple. There is a law.

Send a Reminder to Congress:

Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. §2383. Rebellion or insurrection (June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 S

Find Your Members in the U.S. Congress

When my son was in 7th grade, he came home from school and told me he had been sent to the principal for insubordination.

He didn’t exactly use that word.

He said his teacher sent him to the principal because he spoke up in class to challenge the teacher for failing to enforce class rules against bullying.

My reaction to the incident turned from reprimand to praise after he said he spoke up to protect a friend from the rantings of teenage boys.

The thoughtful principal heard the full story and– instead of punishing my son– had a talk with the teacher about classroom management.

I remembered that just now as I created a petition asking Congress not to confirm an insurrectionist as president of the United States.

We should not have someone as our president who tried to overthrow the government.

The 14th amendment of the United States Constitution and federal law are very clear. We should not have someone as our president who tried to overthrow the government.

The recent Supreme Court decision, Trump v Anderson, did not dispute that we should not have an insurrectionist as president. It merely said decisions on disqualification of a federal candidate be made at the federal level, not the state level.

(Colorado had tried to keep Donald Trump off the state presidential ballot after the court found that Trump was involved in an insurrection.) Notably, the Supreme Court did not challenge the Colorado court finding that Trump was an insurrectionist.

It merely said, wait a second. That decision on disqualification of a presidential candidate under the 14th amendment should be made at the federal level.

But then, the court kicked the can down the road.

It said that to enforce the disqualification provision in the 14th amendment, there needs to be an act of congress.

Hello. Hello.

There is such a law. And it says almost exactly what the 14th amendment of the Constitution says

The law is absolutely clear:

Whoever incites, sets on foot, assists, or engages in any rebellion or insurrection against the authority of the United States or the laws thereof, or gives aid or comfort thereto, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than ten years, or both; and shall be incapable of holding any office under the United States. §2383. Rebellion or insurrection

(June 25, 1948, ch. 645, 62 S

The Supreme Court decision in March 2024 in Trump v Anderson actually quoted it.

“Shortly after ratification of the Amendment, Congress enacted the Enforcement Act of 1870. That Act authorized federal district attorneys to bring civil actions in federal court to remove anyone holding non legislative office—federal or state—in violation of Section 3, and made holding or attempting to hold office in violation of Section 3 a federal crime.”

As the Supreme court noted, a successor to those provisions remains law today. See 18 U. S. C. §2383 .

And my goodness my golly, the federal courts have been using provisions of this updated Enforcement Act of 1870 to prosecute Jan.6 insurrectionists.

Four Oath Keepers Found Guilty of Seditious Conspiracy Related to U.S. Capitol Breach | United States Department of Justice

As an aside, I just told my husband that I was writing this and he warned, “You don’t want to get into a pissing contest with superman.”

My response:

We all should have the same amount of courage as a 12 year old boy who stood up to his teacher asking that rules be followed.

Carol is one very smart and dedicated teacher.
I highly recommend that you follow her.

A write to an education

By Carol Kocivar

I know it is naive to indulge in this idea at this late date. But Congress COULD do something other than roll over for a wannabe dictator insurrectionist. But I guess they would rather be “nobles” at the new court of the king.

Some memories – just in case we forgot the rebellion…

America: follow the law. Don’t install a king.

our comfort may be disrupted

While we watch the horrible soap opera of American politics play out, we ignore the basics of life. There are enormous challenges right now that should dominate the discussions in the public square. Today I present a very simple one.

The demand for electricity is about to be greater than the supply. Please let that sink in. How would you feel if there was a blackout right now? How would you feel if there were scheduled blackouts as emergency conservation measures?

From “Seeking Alpha” – an investment/stock market newsletter:
More than half of the U.S. is at increased risk of power supply shortfalls in the next 5-10 years that could lead to outages and electricity conservation measures, the North American Electric Reliability Corporation said in a recent report.

As U.S. power consumption rises from data centers and the electrification of buildings and transportation, efforts to add electricity generation have fallen short, creating a rising imbalance between supply and demand, NERC said in its annual Long-Term Reliability Assessment.

The Midcontinent Independent System Operator, which operates the electrical grid in 15 states, was at high risk of shortfalls even at normal peak demand periods, NERC said, while other grid operators including PJM Interconnection, ISO New England, and operators in Texas and California are at elevated risk in which shortfalls may happen during extreme heat or cold.

The report recognized confirmed generator retirements totaling 52 GW by 2029 and 78 GW through 2034, but announced retirements that have not begun the formal deactivation processes would push the total expected retirements to 115 GW in the next decade.

NERC has warned about the pace of generator retirements and the changing resource mix, but its latest report said conditions are becoming more urgent as demand forecasts increase and resource additions decline.

I am reading some science fiction as an escape from the insanity of reinstalling a racist rapist con man traitor as president – again. In the book, set thousands of years from now, humanity is searching for an alternative planet. Earth has been destroyed by warring factions – science “believers” vs “naturalists”. A new planet has been discovered. But it is populated with very large intelligent spiders who have an efficient cooperative society. The humans on the spaceship are fighting each other. They are firing guns that threaten the ship’s integrity. They are the last of humanity.

But back to reality. Ask yourself just how intelligent American leaders are right now as they battle each other for control. How will we feel when the lights go out? The rich will have generators or be on priority power lines (like those that feed hospitals). They’ll be OK. What’s our plan to stay warm or survive 100+ degree heat?

This is not a concern about the sources of electricity – renewable vs fossil fuel based. It is a reality based fear that there will not be enough electricity for everyone. Soon.

But no, let’s just keep bickering about whether billionaires or bigoted bible thumping nutcases should run the country. And now back to my book. I like the spiders.

Here is the full report from the NERC (North American Electric Reliability Corporation): https://www.nerc.com/pa/RAPA/ra/Reliability%20Assessments%20DL/NERC_Long%20Term%20Reliability%20Assessment_2024.pdf


https://seekingalpha.com/news/4391284-more-than-half-of-us-at-high-risk-of-power-shortages-in-next-decade-report-says?mailingid=38008469&messageid=2900&serial=38008469.3478&source=email_2900&utm_campaign=rta-stock-news&utm_content=link-1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=seeking_alpha&utm_term=38008469.3478

American entrepreneurship

When I was a young man I was fortunate to have owned a 9 acre property that became what you might call a “micro farm”. There was an 18th Century saltbox house that needed me to keep it from crumbling to the ground. There were horses (compost!). And there was a big vegetable garden. Maybe 10,000 square feet. Asparagus, raspberries, blueberries and every veggie I could consider growing in the colder climate of Western Massachusetts.

I’m not sure who introduced me to Johnny’s Seeds. But I figured that if they were successful in Albion, Maine, they would be in Massachusetts as well. This was the case. The seeds were outstanding.

I was also captured by the story of a guy who started with nothing and built what became one of the premier sources of seeds for the small commercial grower and serious home gardener.

So the seeds are special and the guy has a great story. But what moves me to write about this company now?

In the middle of this American apocalypse and flight to fascism, I needed to think about a classic American success story.

The Johnny’s catalog is eye candy for those of us who love to grow things and…for those who appreciate good web design. I did a little design work in a previous incarnation. I am impressed with the beauty and functionality of their site. Well done!

I also like this:
Rob Johnston and spouse Janika Eckert donated a conservation easement on Johnny’s farm in Albion and on an additional 45 acres of farmland they own nearby. The easements with Maine Farmland Trust ensure that the land will never be developed or used for any purpose other than farming.

But most of all, I love this:
Johnny’s is 100% employee-owned.
In 2006, through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), Johnny’s Selected Seeds was sold to its employees. In an ESOP, employees receive shares of the company — not any outside investor. Within 6 years, by 2012, employees owned 100% of the company.

What if more companies did that? What if companies had employees as members of their board of directors? What if stockholders were not the only stakeholders? What if there was a capitalism that included workers as decision makers?

I worked at The Home Depot during its “golden years”. Employees were stockholders. The 35 year old guy running the plumbing department was halfway to a million dollar + nest egg. The culture was “can do”. The customer was worshipped. As the business grew so did employees’ stock holdings. Win. Win.

This system fueled employee dedication and performance. It stimulated an environment of helping fellow workers become successful. Sadly, when the Home Depot founders retired they hired a fascist type CEO who gutted the culture. I wrote that story about three years ago. Go here for more.

Back to today. Fascism has reached the national level. President elect Musk is in control of Congress. In the face of all this political madness, what to do? We’ll keep up the good fight. But how can we find some personal piece of mind?

The answer for me is to order some seeds and plan the garden. As the farm workers are rounded up and deported, people will be growing more of their own food. This season may remind us of the seed shortages of the Covid years. If you are planning a Victory Garden, consider ordering your seeds soon. The best varieties sell out quickly.

In the meantime, it’s really cold out there. Here’s something to warm you up.

to death

This video is a week old. Because I watch very little TV news. I just found it on the Hopium newsletter. I am sure Simon will applaud the redistribution.

I am proud of our Senator Markey (MA) for saying it clearly and loudly. I will add that any Senator that votes to confirm Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. as HHS secretary is sentencing children to death. To death. Of course, that is what President elect Trump is doing by nominating such a person. The science of vaccines is settled. The study of Kennedy’s and Trump’s brains after death may explain their insanity and cruelty. I can’t.

Nobody died of polio this year. And this conspiracy clown wants to risk the lives of our kids. Does a nomination get worse than this? Ooops, I forgot about the others…

Please email or call your Senators!

or Insanity – which is it?

An article in today’s NY Times has me freaked out furious. But first, a story.

1952. I was about 5 years old. I wanted to come down early Christmas morning – all set to start opening presents with my sister. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t stand up. And I hurt. All over, but especially from the hips through my legs. It hurt a lot. A lot.

My Mom was a nurse. A veteran of WWII. She had seen a lot of pain. But now she was watching her son writhe in agony. I asked her if I had arthritis like Aunt Ginnie who had been crippled since her early teens. No, she said. “Am I going to die?” No, she said. Mom had a suspicion. It was confirmed. I had polio. How could she know I wouldn’t die?

My grandmother traveled to visit us. She and Mom took turns massaging my legs to keep the circulation going. No walking meant less circulation, I guess. It helped a little with the pain. After several weeks – was it months? – the pain did subside gradually. Not entirely, not quickly. But eventually it did. One day, years later, I realized it didn’t hurt anymore!

Next. How to walk? The legs, especially the right one, just didn’t work. The answer was a brace made of metal and leather – to keep me from collapsing. And there was the physical therapy which my mom followed up with at home.

Soon I was clumping around like any kid would if he had a device on. My energy was returning. I felt stronger. I wasn’t going to die. I was going to be tougher!

In some ways, polio had given me something powerful. Nothing that would happen to me for the rest of my life could be as painful or terrifying. I could handle anything after that. Pain? Don’t talk to me about pain…

I was among the lucky ones. I didn’t end up in an iron lung. I recovered in a way that nobody would know that I had been a crippled kid. So lucky and grateful. I didn’t die at five years old. Many did.

Once they became available, Mom made sure we got our polio vaccine shots. Everyone did. The fear of polio was only exceeded by the fear of nuclear war. So perhaps you can FEEL my reaction to the following.

”The lawyer helping Robert F. Kennedy Jr. pick federal health officials for the incoming Trump administration has petitioned the government to revoke its approval of the polio vaccine, which for decades has protected millions of people from a virus that can cause paralysis or death.”

Are you fucking kidding me? Maybe it isn’t incompetence or insanity. Maybe it is just diabolical criminal cruelty.

There is a lot to be frightened and furious about today. The Team of Turds that Trump has nominated for his cabinet are out of a really terrible and dark science fiction movie.

But the nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. to lead “Health and Human Services” is a very, very sick idea. Today’s article in the NY Times (paywall by passed) hits home for me. His attorney, Mr Siri, is an enemy of children. I can’t contain my rage.

For an in depth discussion of what Kennedy would do for public health, please read this PBS interview.

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/13/health/aaron-siri-rfk-jr-vaccines.html?unlocked_article_code=1.hU4.vVJQ.wfiRYS-1d-Qj&smid=url-share

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/the-controversial-changes-rfk-jr-could-make-to-vaccine-policy-as-hhs-chief

And the rich don’t have enough

Democrats are scrambling to figure out how to resurrect a party that was just defeated. There are multiple reasons why not enough voters supported Harris and Walz. The ultra right wing lie factory media dominance. Bigotry. Gaza. The border and trans rights played a role. And much more.

But I maintain that there can’t be any social justice without ECONOMIC JUSTICE. What to do about it? Here’s one idea supported by an unlikely group.

The “Patriotic Millionaires” have proposed and supported solutions to the inequity, the unjust punishment and oppression of the poor. There is not much of a “middle class” left in the US. There are people who are struggling under an unfair system and there are the rich. Yes, there still some in the middle, but fewer every year. The “American Dream” is a memory, not a hope.

In September, a bill was submitted called the “The American Stability Act”. Here is how the “Patriotic Millionaires” describe the economy rigged for the rich:

”Billionaires don’t pay taxes. Working-class people do. CEOs make millions. Their full-time employees can’t support themselves. When the bipartisan majority of Americans say the economy is “rigged,” this is what they are talking about.

The U.S. economy is rigged to benefit the wealthy at the expense of the working class and it’s a threat to our country and our democracy.

It’s time for bold solutions….”

”The Patriotic Millionaires are proud to join Pennsylvania Representative Summer Lee in introducing the American Stability Act. The American Stability Act will do 3 major things:

• ELIMINATES FEDERAL TAXES for any taxpayer making less than the median cost of living for a single adult with no children (slightly above $40,000 a year);

• SHIFTS the responsibility for these revenues onto taxpayers making more than $1 million a year by implementing a 3% surtax on annual incomes over $1,000,000 and an 8% surtax on annual incomes over $15 million;

• REPLACES the minimum wage with a new “Stability Wage,” which is set to the median cost of living in the US for a single adult with no children (currently approx. $41,600/$20.00 per hour), and then indexes it to inflation or the increase in the median wage for all workers (whichever is higher).”

The Biden Harris administration has delivered major programs and projects that have created millions of jobs, improved our infrastructure, addressed the climate crisis, restored some supply chain security. And it has been a good steward of our national security.

But all of that is an abstraction when you have to decide whether to buy food or the medicine you need to stay healthy. It’s theoretical rhetoric when the rent went up and the alternative is to move back in with your parents. It’s ladeeda if you can’t afford to start a family.

In the time from 1981 to 2021 $50 TRILLION went up to a few rich people. And despite some recent small gains, wages have been stagnant. We are the richest nation in the history of the planet. Why are Republicans punishing the poor? Threatening our social safety nets?

Two billionaire asshats (one of whom is the richest person in the world!) are telling us that there isn’t enough money to feed all our kids, to care for seniors who busted their butts and now just ask for a few years of comfort, to assist families so both parents can work and PAY TAXES?

THEY can have yachts, but we should struggle to pay for lousy healthcare? WTF?

Democrats MUST become the party of the working poor. They MUST declare a campaign to rearrange the money in this country. It’s more than a “messaging” problem – we have all whined about that. We have a MESSAGE problem.

Information Bubbles

I disagree with the first two sentences of the following piece from The New Republic. It WAS the economy that cost us the election. It was inflation. (please! no more stories about eggs!)

But I adamantly agree with the rest of the article. We have allowed the oligarchs, media talking heads and crazed preachers to assume ownership of our media landscape. We knew that, right? Well…I read this piece and now I understand the scope of the takeover.

The information coup has been accomplished. The fascists own the communication landscape. They now hold the high ground in the war.

How else can we explain the election to the presidency of a crook, a molester of women, a friend of dictators? How?

An example of the media bubble problem is well exemplified by an excellent substack writer and his audience of mostly fine and well intentioned readers. Robert Hubbell writes “Today’s Edition”. His legal background, his sense of fairness, his analytical skills and his core values are outstanding. I recommend it and him. I found Hubbell from a friend (thanks Ellin) and via the crew at “Letters from an American” by Heather Cox Richardson. “HCR” is how I usually start the day. Coffee with Heather. I consider her a hero. It’s my comfortable, informative way to start the day.

But within Robert and Heather’s letters and within the comments are endless complaints about how the MSM or “media” was treating VP Harris vs Trump. And what media were we complaining about? NY Times, WaPO, PBS, CBS, NBC and ABC. They are the “liberal Substack information bubble”.

That, dear readers, is the problem so well explained below. I copied and pasted it for your review. Read it thoroughly or skim through – but please read carefully the last few paragraphs. You’ll get the point.

If democracy is to survive, some very rich Democrats need to launch a YouTube TV channel. And they could launch it on social media for almost no money!

They need to strategically purchase FM radio stations. They need to find a “Josephine Rogan” to provide a podcast alternative to call out Macho Joe for the liar and asshat that he is.

We are losing the war to retain our freedoms as defined by our Constitution. Bible thumping wahoos are aligned with ridiculously rich kleptogarchs and they are no longer “fringe media” when it comes to “informing” America. They are now THE mainstream for 10s of millions of Americans.

Be afraid, very afraid of what comes next.

Why Does No One Understand the Real Reason Trump Won?

The New Republic

Nov 08, 2024

Item one: It wasn’t the economy. It wasn’t inflation, or anything else. It was how people perceive those things, which points to one overpowering answer.

“I’ve had a lot of conversations since Tuesday revolving around the question of why Donald Trump won. The economy and inflation. Kamala Harris didn’t do this or that. Sexism and racism. The border. That trans-inmate ad that ran a jillion times. And so on.

These conversations have usually proceeded along lines where people ask incredulously how a majority of voters could have believed this or that. Weren’t they bothered that Trump is a convicted felon? An adjudicated rapist? Didn’t his invocation of violence against Liz Cheney, or 50 other examples of his disgusting imprecations, obviously disqualify him? And couldn’t they see that Harris, whatever her shortcomings, was a fundamentally smart, honest, well-meaning person who would show basic respect for the Constitution and wouldn’t do anything weird as president?

The answer is obviously no—not enough people were able to see any of those things. At which point people throw up their hands and say, “I give up.”

But this line of analysis requires that we ask one more question. And it’s the crucial one: Why didn’t a majority of voters see these things? And understanding the answer to that question is how we start to dig out of this tragic mess.

The answer is the right-wing media. Today, the right-wing media—Fox News (and the entire News Corp), Newsmax, One America News Network, the Sinclair network of radio and TV stations and newspapers, iHeartMedia (formerly Clear Channel), the Bott Radio Network (Christian radio), Elon Musk’s X, the huge podcasts like Joe Rogan’s, and much more—sets the news agenda in this country. And they fed their audiences a diet of slanted and distorted information that made it possible for Trump to win.

Let me say that again, in case it got lost: Today, the right-wing media sets the news agenda in this country. Not The New York Times. Not The Washington Post (which bent over backward to exert no influence when Jeff Bezos pulled the paper’s Harris endorsement). Not CBS, NBC, and ABC. The agenda is set by all the outlets I listed in the above paragraph. Even the mighty New York Times follows in its wake, aping the tone they set disturbingly often.

If you read me regularly, you know that I’ve written this before, but I’m going to keep writing it until people—specifically, rich liberals, who are the only people in the world who have the power to do something about this state of affairs—take some action.

I’ve been in the media for three decades, and I’ve watched this happen from the front row. Fox News came on the air in 1996. Then, it was an annoyance, a little bug the mainstream media could brush off its shoulder. There was also Rush Limbaugh; still, no comparison between the two medias. Rush was talented, after a fashion anyway, but couldn’t survive in a mainstream lane (recall how quickly the experiment of having him be an ESPN color commentator went off the rails). But in the late 1990s, and after the internet exploded and George W. Bush took office, the right-wing media grew and grew. At first, the liberal media grew as well, along with the internet, in the form of a robust blogosphere that eventually spawned influential, agenda-setting websites like HuffPost. But billionaires on the right have invested far more heavily in media in the last two decades than their counterparts on the left—whose ad-supported, V.C.-funded operations started to fizzle out once social media and Google starting eating up the revenue pie.

And the result is what we see today. The readily visual analogy I use is: Once upon a time, the mainstream media was a beach ball and the right-wing media was a golf ball. Today, the mainstream media (what with layoffs and closures and the near death of serious local news reporting) is the size of a volleyball and the right-wing media is the size of a basketball, which, in case you’re wondering, is bigger.

This is the year in which it became obvious that the right-wing media has more power than the mainstream media. It’s not just that it’s bigger. It’s that it speaks with one voice, and that voice says Democrats and liberals are treasonous elitists who hate you, and Republicans and conservatives love God and country and are your last line of defense against your son coming home from school your daughter.

And that is why Donald Trump won. Indeed, the right-wing media is why he exists in our political lives in the first place. Don’t believe me? Try this thought experiment. Imagine Trump coming down that escalator in 2015 with no right-wing media; no Fox News; an agenda still set, and mores still established, by staid old CBS News, the House of Murrow, and The New York Times.

That atmosphere would have denied an outrageous figure like Trump the oxygen he needed to survive and flourish. He just would not have been taken seriously at all. In that world, ruled by a traditional mainstream media, Trump would have been seen by Republicans as a liability, and they would have done what they failed to do in real life—banded together to marginalize him.

But the existence of Fox changed everything. Fox hosted the early debates, which Trump won not with intelligence but outrageousness. He tapped into the grievance culture Fox had nursed among conservatives for years. He had (most of the time) Rupert Murdoch’s personal blessing. In 2015–16, Fox made Trump possible.

And this year, Fox and the rest of the right-wing media elected him. I discussed all this Thursday with Matthew Gertz of Media Matters for America, who watches lots of Fox News so the rest of us don’t have to. He made the crucial point—and you must understand this—that nearly all the crazy memes that percolated into the news stream during this election came not from Trump or JD Vance originally, but from somewhere in the right-wing media ecosystem.

The fake story about Haitian residents of Springfield, Ohio, eating cats and dogs, for example, started with a Facebook post citing second- and third-hand sources, Gertz told me; it then “circulated on X and was picked up by all the major right-wing influencers.” Only then did Vance, a very online dude, notice it and decide to run with it. And then Trump said it himself at the debate. But it started in the right-wing media.

Likewise with the post debate ABC “whistleblower” claims, which Gertz wrote about at the time. This was the story that ABC, which hosted the only presidential debate this election, fed Team Harris the questions in advance. This started, Gertz wrote, as a “wildly flimsy internet rumor launched by a random pro-Trump X poster.” Soon enough, the right-wing media was all over it.

Maybe that one didn’t make a huge difference (although who knows?), but this one, I believe, absolutely did: the idea that Harris and Joe Biden swiped emergency aid away from the victims of Hurricane Helene (in mostly Southern, red states) and gave it all to undocumented migrants. It did not start with Trump or his campaign or Vance or the Republican National Committee or Lindsey Graham. It started on Fox. Only then did the others pick it up. And it was key, since this was a moment when Harris’s momentum in the polling averages began to flag.

I think a lot of people who don’t watch Fox or listen to Sinclair radio don’t understand this crucial chicken-and-egg point. They assume that Trump says something and the right-wing media amplify it. That happens sometimes. But more often, it’s the other way around. These memes start in the media sphere, then they become part of the Trump agenda.

I haven’t even gotten to the economy, about which there is so much to say. Yes—inflation is real. But the Biden economy has been great in many ways. The U.S. economy, wrote The Economist in mid-October, is “the envy of the world.” But in the right-wing media, the horror stories were relentless. And mainstream economic reporting too often followed that lead. Allow me to make the world’s easiest prediction: After 12 noon next January 20, it won’t take Fox News and Fox Business even a full hour to start locating every positive economic indicator they can find and start touting those. Within weeks, the “roaring Trump economy” will be conventional wisdom. (Eventually, as some of the fruits from the long tail of Bidenomics start growing on the vine, Trump may become the beneficiary of some real-world facts as well, taking credit for that which he opposed and regularly denounced.)

Back to the campaign. I asked Gertz what I call my “Ulan Bator question.” If someone moved to America from Ulan Bator, Mongolia, in the summer and watched only Fox News, what would that person learn about Kamala Harris? “You would know that she is a very stupid person,” Gertz said. “You’d know that she orchestrated a coup against Joe Biden. That she’s a crazed extremist. And that she very much does not care about you.”

Same Ulan Bator question about Trump? That he’s been “the target of a vicious witch-hunt for years and years,” that he is under constant assault; and most importantly, that he is “doing it all for you.”

To much of America, by the way, this is not understood as one side’s view of things. It’s simply “the news.” This is what people—white people, chiefly—watch in about two-thirds of the country. I trust that you’ve seen in your travels, as I have in mine, that in red or even some purple parts of the country, when you walk into a hotel lobby or a hospital waiting room or even a bar, where the TVs ought to be offering us some peace and just showing ESPN, at least one television is tuned to Fox. That’s reach, and that’s power. And then people get in their cars to drive home and listen to an iHeart, right-wing talk radio station. And then they get home and watch their local news and it’s owned by Sinclair, and it too has a clear right-wing slant. And then they pick up their local paper, if it still exists, and the op-ed page features Cal Thomas and Ben Shapiro.

Liberals, rich and otherwise, live in a bubble where they never see this stuff. I would beg them to see it. Watch some Fox. Listen to some Christian radio. Experience the news that millions of Americans are getting on a daily basis. You’ll pretty quickly come to understand what I’m saying here.

And then contemplate this fact: If you think they’re done, you’re in fantasyland. They’re not happy with the rough parity, the slight advantage they have now. They want media domination. Sinclair bought the once glorious Baltimore Sun. Don’t think they’ll stop there. I predict Sinclair or News Corp will own The Washington Post one day. Maybe sooner than we think.

I implore you. Contemplate this. If you’re of a certain age, you have a living memory of revolutions in what we used to call the Third World. Question: What’s the first thing every guerilla army, whether of the left or the right, did once they seized the palace? They took over the radio or television station. First. There’s a reason for that.

It’s the same reason Viktor Orbán told CPAC in 2022: “Have your own media.”

This is a crisis. The Democratic brand is garbage in wide swaths of the country, and this is the reason. Consider this point. In Missouri on Tuesday, voters passed a pro–abortion rights initiative and another that raised the minimum wage and mandated paid leave. These are all Democratic positions. But as far as electing someone to high office, the Man-Boy Love Party could probably come closer than the Democrats. Trump beat Harris there by 18 points, and Senator Josh Hawley beat Lucas Kunce, who ran a good race and pasted Hawley in their debate, by 14 points.

The reason? The right-wing media. And it’s only growing and growing. And I haven’t even gotten to social media and TikTok and the other platforms from which far more people are getting their news these days. The right is way ahead on those fronts too. Liberals must wake up and understand this and do something about it before it’s too late, which it almost is.”

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another substack subscription!

I have way, way too many Substack subscriptions. Too many to properly open and digest. My inbox is getting hard to manage. But I keep them coming because I want to support the writers with whom I enjoy shared values.

The first Substack letter I read this morning is from someone new to me. Carol Kocivar hits it out of the park with this one. I opened it and had a wonderful sensation. A burst of fresh, clean air seemed to rush through my head.

I copied and pasted it below. It reminds me that there IS a world where values matter. It’s about books. Enjoy. You may consider subscribing for more from Carol.

Books to help ban mischief in 2025 and beyond.

Be good for goodness sake.

Carol Kocivar

Dec 02, 2024

I usually give books to my grandchildren to celebrate the holidays. In anticipation of 2025, I am making some strategic choices.

This year, I am considering books about values. Remember those things? Truth, kindness, empathy, good choices, equality, and patriotism.

Based on the news in the last couple of months, there seems to be some confusion over what these words mean.

The book list contains lessons we all need to learn. Remember, pictures—especially in children’s books— are worth a thousand words.

Tell the Truth

Yes, George, we know. Future presidents cannot tell a lie.

• The Lying King. “When other animals fail to take a stand, a lying warthog becomes their king with devastating results”.

  The Lying King by Alex Beard video

Make Smart Choices

If our media is full of examples of bad choices, how do we teach our children to make the right ones?

• What were you thinking? A third grader struggles with impulse control.

  “What Were You Thinking?” Book Trailer video

• Can you believe it? Speaking of the media and bad choices, this book helps kids distinguish fact from lies.

Kindness

Not everyone lives like the top one percent.

• The Note Keeper: A mother and daughter flee from danger but are denied entry at the U.S. border, and must find the refugee in charge of “the notebook,” an unofficial ledger of those waiting to cross into the U.S.

Cooperation

What is better? “Us vs Them” or “We” working together?

• Stone Soup A tale about a selfish community that is tricked into creating a delicious soup from stones. The moral of the story is that people have strength when they work together. This tale has a long history and shows up in the literature of many countries.

• Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth: Children’s Books Read Aloud on Once Upon A Story video

Bullying

Is it really OK to bully someone with a disability?

• Out of My Mind: A brilliant student with cerebral palsy faces bullying.

• Out of My Mind | Official Trailer | Disney+ video

Books for Teens: morality and governance

• What rights should people have?

• What happens when freedom of speech is banned?

• How much power should political leaders have?

These books explore challenges we face in creating a good society. All three have been on banned book lists.

• Animal Farm: “One of the most telling satiric fables ever penned –a razor-edged fairy tale …that records the evolution from revolution against tyranny to a totalitarianism just as terrible.”

  Animal Farm Summary (Full Book in JUST 3 Minutes) video

• Lord of the Flies: “ Labeled a parable, an allegory, a myth, a morality tale, a parody, a political treatise, even a vision of the apocalypse, Lord of the Flies is perhaps our most memorable novel about “the end of innocence, the darkness of man’s heart.”

  Lord of the Flies (1990) ORIGINAL TRAILER video

• 1984: “doublethink, memory hole, unperson, thoughtcrime, Newspeak, Thought Police, Room 101, Big Brother—they’ve all entered the English language as instantly recognizable signs of a nightmare future. It’s almost impossible to talk about propaganda, surveillance, authoritarian politics, or perversions of truth without dropping a reference to 1984.”

• 1884 trailer video

Patriotism

Yes, indeed. These are the times that try men’s souls.

• The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation “Using Lincoln’s words as a keystone, and drawing from first-person accounts, The Gettysburg Address shows us the events through the eyes of those who lived through the events of the War, from soldiers to slaves.”

  Trailer | The Gettysburg Address — A Graphic Adaptation video

• They Called Us Enemy “A stunning graphic memoir recounting actor/author/activist George Takei’s childhood imprisoned within American concentration camps during World War II. Experience the forces that shaped an American icon — and America itself — in this gripping tale of courage, country, loyalty, and love.” Note: On a banned book list.

• George Takei “They Called Us Enemy” – One morning in Los Angeles video

Equality

Are all men created equal? Let’s try that again. Are all men and women created equal? One more time. Are people of every race created equal?

• The Story of Ruby Bridges The true story of six-year-old Ruby Bridges, a young African-American girl, who entered a whites-only school in New Orleans in 1960.

  The Story of Ruby Bridges read-aloud video

• How Women Won the Vote “stunningly illustrated, and tirelessly researched story of the little-known DC Women’s March of 1913 — a pivotal event in the history of women’s suffrage in America!”

  What You Need to Know About Women’s Suffrage | NowThis video

What could happen if our children do not learn these important lessons?

These books have been on banned book lists.

• The Diary of Ann Frank The diary of a 13 year-old Jewish girl who was killed by the Nazis during WWII. The Ann Frank Museum explains how this diary became one of the most read books in the world.

  Anne Frank: Her World and Her Diary video

• To Kill a Mockingbird A Pulitzer prize winning novel about race in America and a hero who confronts it.

  To Kill a Mockingbird Official Trailer #1 – Gregory Peck Movie (1962) HD video

Are your children learning these lessons in school?

All of these values should be taught in school. Lest we forget, one of the most important roles of education is to teach our children to be responsible citizens in a democracy. Grandparents are the back-up team to help pass values from one generation to the next.

Happy reading.

Subscribe to Carol’s Substack here:
https://substack.com/@carolkocivar

Reversing the flow of money

I process grief quickly. That doesn’t mean I minimize its potency or its value. When something horrible happens, it is critical to FEEL it. Shed some tears. Scream. Look in the mirror as the veins in your head look like they will explode. Imagine your hair on fire. Be ripshit angry, genuinely sad and broken hearted. That was November 6th. And for several days thereafter.

And now…the anger is the same. But I don’t have time to dwell in sadness. We all have very little time. I am now in a place where I hope most of us will go. Solutions for a financial revolution. A bloodless, peaceful but powerful place of radical economic change.

SOCIAL JUSTICE is ECONOMIC JUSTICE

The beginning. Believe that all Americans are entitled to clean water, adequate food, decent housing, health care, education and help with disabilities. All Americans means all – regardless of race, country of origin, faith or lack thereof, sexual orientation or preference – all. Human rights for all.

The process. That takes money. Lots of it. Can we afford such “fairness”? Absolutely. But it requires puncturing myths. It requires the political will to actually say that no one should go without basic human rights while oligarchs play on their mega-yachts. It means having the courage to say that when children are simply born in the wrong town and are hungry and poorly educated, there is a moral obligation for us to help.

How many times have you heard that the “American Dream” is that we have a capitalist system where anyone “can make it”? Obviously, that is now wishful bullshit that some politicians continue to promote. It may have been true in the past, but now it is a fantasy.

Here is another fantasy. If the rich pay less taxes they will use that money to invest in their businesses – hiring more people with higher wages. And if I eat watermelon seeds, vines will grow out of my ears.

In 1944, the top income tax rate peaked at 94 percent on taxable income over $200,000 ($2.5 million in today’s dollars). To clarify, if this were today’s tax rate the 94% rate would apply to the amount earned OVER the first $2.5 million. This is taxing excessive wealth.

Over the next three decades, the top federal income tax rate remained high, never dipping below 70 percent. And America experienced the fastest growing economy and expansion of wealth for the middle class in our history as a nation. There were plenty of poor people – held back by all the usual suspects. But at least there was hope. There was a solid, expanding middle class. It was the most generally felt prosperity in our history.

And then The Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981. Ronald Reagan introduced “trickle down economics”. The Republican con game resumed. Trillions flowed up to the ultra wealthy. Yet, middle class wages stagnated.

From Wiki:
”The non-partisan Congressional Research Service (in the Library of Congress) issued a report in 2012 analyzing the effects of tax rates from 1945 to 2010. It concluded that top tax rates have no positive effect on economic growth, saving, investment, or productivity growth. However, the reduced top tax rates increase income inequality:^[32]

The reduction in the top tax rates appears to be uncorrelated with saving, investment, and productivity growth. The top tax rates appear to have little or no relation to the size of the economic pie. However, the top tax rate reductions appear to be associated with the increasing concentration of income at the top of the income distribution.^[33]”

So let us be clear. For over 40 years, the VERY rich people have paid less in taxes than was socially acceptable during the presidency of Dwight Eisenhower (R) when the marginal tax (taxed after you make $2.5 million) was over 90%. Today that rate is about 40%. Where did that 50% go? It didn’t help the overall economy – as confirmed by the bipartisan experts at the Library of Congress.

That uncollected revenue is a major reason why our national debt has exploded. Of course, the MAGA folks will blame that debt on poor people. And they will now begin to make cuts to the programs that we need to survive. Because THEY didn’t pay their bills – their moral obligations to a civilized society.

And here is also where some of that uncollected 50% went.

Zuckerberg, Musk, Bezos, and other American oligarchs enjoy their toys while millions of Americans work multiple jobs, can’t afford good health insurance, are one financial disaster away from bankruptcy and/or homelessness, and their kids may be attending shitty schools.

Do you still wonder why over 90 million people didn’t vote in our last election, why they feel as if the “system is rigged” against them? Do you have any doubt as to why they think “all politicians are the same”?

Senator Chris Murphy of Connecticut is trying to develop a new Democratic platform that offers help to all Americans. Keep an eye on him and perhaps join in our revolution.

I am revolted by the “Tech Bros” and their wallowing in their new “Gilded Age” riches. Time to reverse the flow of money. Zuck could have 10% of what he has now and still afford big toys.

But don’t listen to me or the politicians. Take it from a Nobel laureate in economics:
”For the Democrats, that message should be clear: abandon neoliberalism and return to your progressive roots in the presidencies of Franklin D Roosevelt and Lyndon B Johnson. The party needs to provide a new vision of a society that offers education and opportunity to all; where markets compete to produce better products that enhance living standards, rather than to devise better ways of exploiting workers, customers, and the environment; where we recognise that we have moved on from the industrial age to an economy oriented around services, knowledge, innovation, and care. A new economy needs new rules and new roles for government.”
Joseph E Stiglitz is a Nobel laureate in economics, university professor at Columbia University and a former chief economist of the World Bank

There is currently a contest for who will lead the Democratic National Committee. I support Ben Wikler of Wisconsin whose message aligns with mine. Our party needs an overhaul – it needs to be the party of CHANGE. A return to the party of FDR. For too long mega donors have called the shots and look where we are now. The image of our party is that of elitism. We need to flip the conversation on it’s head and get upset at the unfairness of the system. We need to channel the very real frustration of most Americans.

I suggest that this hoarding of wealth by the few is immoral in the face of millions who are suffering. What do you think?

https://mediabiasfactcheck.com/the-center-for-economic-and-policy-research/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economic_Recovery_Tax_Act_of_1981

https://www.thebulwark.com/p/sen-murphy-im-preparing-for-dystopia?utm_source=substack&utm_campaign=post_embed&utm_medium=web

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2024/nov/28/the-message-to-democrats-is-clear-you-must-dump-neoliberal-economics

Senator Murphy proposes a new path

What follows is an elaboration from Senator Murphy. He is a realist about the incoming administration. And he has THE message for Democrats. We need to regroup. That doesn’t mean abandoning any of our values or our commitment to social justice. It just means that we need to rebuild the party based on…..
ECONOMIC JUSTICE.

Open the Bulwark article, scroll down to the video interview. Senator Murphy is a young leader to watch.

The Bulwark

Sen. Murphy: I’m Preparing for Dystopia

As Democrats grapple with the threat Donald Trump’s presidency poses and how best to combat it, one of the party’s leading figures isn’t mincing words…

Read more

a year ago · 823 likes · Sam Stein