This is a brilliant essay, Bret. About two thirds the way through it I started to cry: I have been personally harmed by Trump's very existence. You might say that it "breaks my Zen" to see this person; I'm disgusted and disgust is not a pleasant emotion. How did such a creature come about? I ask rhetorically because WE enabled this repellant monster to achieve such power. American history is pretty strange. We have been through things before and have demonstrated great resilience. But...now...it feels as though we are having our feet cut off.
The mills of justice grind frustratingly slow. Please recognize that lawsuits against t, m, and their minions are numerous, appealing to judges to certify their lawlessness as such. It will from that point be the task of law enforcement to arrest the felons and take them to court for sentencing. I wish it could happen in the time frame of a typical tv drama or movie. A philosopher said that an unjust law does not bind. May it be true in practice. And may ordinary people speak out, especially to their elected reps. Jamie Raskin, I hear, is mounting an impeachment campaign.
"Hope is not a naive fantasy..." I respectfully disagree. Hope has become a warm blanket, a version of comfort...a self-help book. There is no action; no leadership and no call for action. Oh great, another peaceful march...yawn. Nobody is putting their lives on the line for "hope". "Hope" is the casserole Dems bring to the knife fight we're in. Rebrand Hope into something that's actionable via bold leadership that turns on our innate desire to survive.
I didn't read through all of your commentary Bret, but based on my quick scan, you might want to take a deep breath. America and the world are not about to come to an end. While I am no expert on societal trends, my inner self tells me we will all survive the next four years. Hope you stay well.
I'm sure we'll survive Jay, but it will be a different America, and a different world. In the next five years, AI and robots change life in ways we can't even begin to imagine.
Yes, as they say the one constant in life, is change. As I age, my concerns become more self-centric, looking primarily to make it to the next day. I liked your last commentary which was a little more on the lighter side. Be well.
I’m trying to keep things light. Living in Mexico, with its completely different vibe from the U.S., is something I’m grateful for. In the warmth of the people and the strength of their families, I see a glimmer of hope for the future.
Glad to hear you seem to be enjoying the local/regional flavor of Mexico. I haven't been there in about 20 years, and even so it was mostly the touristy areas (Mexico City, Cancun, Tiajuana) and not the real thing. That's when I realized I should have taken Spanish, not French, in high school. Stay well, Cuz.
Bret has a good heart, and he's a good journalist. We each see things a bit differently, and for some it is difficult to be tolerant of other views. As for me, I am quite confident the USA will survive intact, and its current form of democracy will prevail. Be well.
You sound like a man with a good heart too I'm just not as confident as you are . I'm particularly disappointed in the mainstream news and the Republican Party. I want to return America to the beautiful land where the Buffaloes roamed . I'm 72 years old and this is not my first rodeo
Thx, I'm around your age. I remember practicing for nuclear war by crouching under our desks in grade school, so my concerns are tempered by much of that experience and take the current political hyperbole in stride. If I knew everything, I'd be basking on some Polynesian island somewhere. Just going with my gut. Take care.
This is a brilliant essay, Bret. About two thirds the way through it I started to cry: I have been personally harmed by Trump's very existence. You might say that it "breaks my Zen" to see this person; I'm disgusted and disgust is not a pleasant emotion. How did such a creature come about? I ask rhetorically because WE enabled this repellant monster to achieve such power. American history is pretty strange. We have been through things before and have demonstrated great resilience. But...now...it feels as though we are having our feet cut off.
Well stated, Brett, and to the pointWhat Do You Choose? (feb. 2025) by Manuela Garcia
Fetid gutters or life giving stars?
Psychological prisons or clarified minds?
Dead pigeons or flapping sparrows?
And now they’ve chosen a Machiavellian miscreant
enamored only of power:
the subliminal need to undo
the neglect of a sadistic father
the one who only recognized in his son
the pretext of grandiosity
What do you need to bleed more slowly
before you bleed out utterly and entirely?
Do you choose to die in the natural order
or in a sudden spasm
At the hands of megalomaniacal narcissists
whom consensus enabled to dictate your fate?
Can you enable yourself
to get out and resist in the midst of blinding chaos
to insist that your voice
be heard at the risk
of loosing your head, instead?
What do you choose
the rhythm or the blues?
Real speak or Orwellian double speak?
Can you tweak your thinking quit sinking into the morass
How gory does it have to get
before your rage kills the sage in you?
Stoicism be damned if it mistakes
a Sig Heil for an autistic burp!
The mills of justice grind frustratingly slow. Please recognize that lawsuits against t, m, and their minions are numerous, appealing to judges to certify their lawlessness as such. It will from that point be the task of law enforcement to arrest the felons and take them to court for sentencing. I wish it could happen in the time frame of a typical tv drama or movie. A philosopher said that an unjust law does not bind. May it be true in practice. And may ordinary people speak out, especially to their elected reps. Jamie Raskin, I hear, is mounting an impeachment campaign.
"Hope is not a naive fantasy..." I respectfully disagree. Hope has become a warm blanket, a version of comfort...a self-help book. There is no action; no leadership and no call for action. Oh great, another peaceful march...yawn. Nobody is putting their lives on the line for "hope". "Hope" is the casserole Dems bring to the knife fight we're in. Rebrand Hope into something that's actionable via bold leadership that turns on our innate desire to survive.
I didn't read through all of your commentary Bret, but based on my quick scan, you might want to take a deep breath. America and the world are not about to come to an end. While I am no expert on societal trends, my inner self tells me we will all survive the next four years. Hope you stay well.
I'm sure we'll survive Jay, but it will be a different America, and a different world. In the next five years, AI and robots change life in ways we can't even begin to imagine.
Yes, as they say the one constant in life, is change. As I age, my concerns become more self-centric, looking primarily to make it to the next day. I liked your last commentary which was a little more on the lighter side. Be well.
I’m trying to keep things light. Living in Mexico, with its completely different vibe from the U.S., is something I’m grateful for. In the warmth of the people and the strength of their families, I see a glimmer of hope for the future.
Glad to hear you seem to be enjoying the local/regional flavor of Mexico. I haven't been there in about 20 years, and even so it was mostly the touristy areas (Mexico City, Cancun, Tiajuana) and not the real thing. That's when I realized I should have taken Spanish, not French, in high school. Stay well, Cuz.
Brett Is using his best skills to warn U.S.
He hasn't given up.
Nor should we the people.
Bret has a good heart, and he's a good journalist. We each see things a bit differently, and for some it is difficult to be tolerant of other views. As for me, I am quite confident the USA will survive intact, and its current form of democracy will prevail. Be well.
You sound like a man with a good heart too I'm just not as confident as you are . I'm particularly disappointed in the mainstream news and the Republican Party. I want to return America to the beautiful land where the Buffaloes roamed . I'm 72 years old and this is not my first rodeo
Thx, I'm around your age. I remember practicing for nuclear war by crouching under our desks in grade school, so my concerns are tempered by much of that experience and take the current political hyperbole in stride. If I knew everything, I'd be basking on some Polynesian island somewhere. Just going with my gut. Take care.