This all makes me shake with rage and what ifs...what if Dems or President Biden had done any of this? I plead with Democrats to flood all media with the facts of the awful bill and what is happening with the Supreme Court!!
I ran the marathon with the goal of crossing the finish line..and if it meant being the turtle bringing up the rear then so be it.🐢 Congratulations on finishing the race, Beth!
The article about the nuclear blast has always been concerning to those of us in close proximity to DC. 9/11 was especially scary when the Pentagon hit. Living in Annapolis knew many who worked in government or over at NSA.
I'm reading this on Sunday morning, with strong black tea, not covfefe, and it's a great mix to greet the new day with -- but #4 gives me the chills. I was 11 in October 1962. I was starting to pay attention to the news in the daily paper, not just the funnies. The Cuban missile crisis was underway. You could hear my town's fire whistle all over town. Every call box in town had its own pattern, so if you counted the blasts -- 3-4-1, 2-5-3, etc. -- and checked the list that the town put out, you could figure out where the fire was. There were also two Civil Defense signals: Repeated staccato blasts meant "attack imminent." A long sustained blast meant "attack likely." One night a long sustained blast woke me up. I knew what it meant. I got out of bed. In the hallway I ran into my father. It had woken him up too. It was the only time in my life that I saw him scared.
As it turned out, the Russians weren't coming: the town's fire whistle had just gotten stuck. But almost 63 years later I remember it in my gut. Some eight years later, as a college student, I took a course called "War and Peace." It wasn't about Tolstoy's novel; it focused on then current weapons of war, including nuclear bombs. We learned about "blast radius" of bombs much larger than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- how extensive the immediate damage would be. We learned from the experience of those cities that the damage extended beyond that and went on for years. These days the bombs are far bigger than that. I don't know what the blast radius would be or how long the damage would last. I don't want to know. It's terrifying enough to know that these weapons exist, and that some people consider using them.
Love your comments. Especially because they include more than just current politics. Here's one I' read that is worth passing on: David Brooks had a column yesterday (or the 2nd) about AI and suggesting that "brain-only" essays can be superior to AI assisted or AI only essays. Very interesting and am sure quite controversial. Bernie
Thank you Olivia for the update. Yes the executive branch has full control over the legislative branch and the judicial branch is folding. It will soon be one ruling the whole shebang .
The Alligator Auchwitchz is another deplorable concentration camp situated in a hostile environment infested with mosquitoes, pythons, panthers, alligators and the odd anaconda in the sweltering steamy 120 degree heat. Three thousand beds sheltered in tents that have no running water or toilet facilities. are not rated for hurricanes .To be processed within 48 hours of arrival by deputized National Guardsmen is a sick joke. Who is there that will represent the alleged brown immigrant criminal. Trump says it will house “some of the most vicious people on the planet” and the “worst of the worst.” It’s never a mistake to predict it will get worse with Trump and his hateful, lawless, authoritarian regime. I shudder to imagine the pleasure Trump will convey if and when an escapee is eaten or killed by an alligator. Its hard to imagine that he, Noem and the sadistic Trump advisor Stephen Miller are not planning other camps and other ways to punish migrants and other unwanted people that they demonize.
Can’t read about the nuclear scenario since it’s behind a paywall. Not willing to give Bezos the dollar it costs to read it. Anyone have a non paywall link would be appreciated. Keep up the great work Olivia!
Correctly done right or correctly, socialism actually is not that bad because that's pretty much if you look at everything that Trump and the Rs are taking away it's mostly social support programs like snap, Medicare or Medicaid, VA benefits other programs that benefit all Americans and not just a bunch of billionaires or people that make over $400,000
Democratic candidate mayor of New York possibly has the right message if you go into the detail.
If you look into it Democratic socialism is pretty much what we had since the mid 60s, get your act together and look into the detail you might be surprised!
Alright maga… you called down the thunder, well now you've got it!
I see a red hat, I crush the person wearing it!
You tell 'em I'm coming... and hell's coming with me, you hear?
Hell’s coming with me!!!
I am meeting with the head of the county Democratic party on Wednesday to discuss running for the US House seat or the state representative seat next year.
Do I have any money, no. Have I ever ran for public office before, no. Do I have any experience in politics, no. Do I think I can run a campaign via social media and town halls and knocking on doors and KICK THAT ARROGANT PRICK’S ASS, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL DO!!!
He’s the one that said getting his picture with the president was “pretty cool” and trump likes it when “he’s on tv, so that’s pretty cool, too.” Then he goes and votes for the Bill That Kills.
Then, he said “if people would get their ass off the couch and get a job, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Medicaid cuts.”
Well, timmy boy, this pharmacist who came out of a 700 sqft, three-room house where his mechanic dad and school cafeteria worker mom raised their two sons and a great-nephew they took-in is going to send you and your “opportunistic Carhartt” jacket back to Knoxville without that congressional pin on your lapel.
The politicians and the news media and the people with a platform did not listen when those of us who knew what was coming tried to warn them.
Even now, I still see prominent people saying things like “they have to do” or “have to follow” laws and procedures or “norms”. That’s all over. They are trump and stephen miller’s secret police, the only rules they have to follow are trump’s. They don’t give a 💩 about the rule of law as we knew it. They are the law. Trump said it out loud several time.
Whatever you think they can’t do because of law and order or the judiciary or congress or having integrity or a soul, they can and they will do it. That’s the reality for everybody, now. Trump has his “Sturmabteilung” and his SD and SS and gestapo and abwehr, curtesy of the supreme court conservatives and the republican party of depraved cowards.
It’s all or nothing from today until the midterm “elections” next year. We either crush them in both chambers of congress and at the state level, or we prepare to fight a civil war to retake our government and our democracy. Anybody that doesn’t see that or doesn’t want to believe it at this point, is just standing in our way. And I’m too damn old and too broken down for that, so it’s hammer down until the polls close next November!!!
We are now three steps behind and climbing out of a hole. Everyone of us has to hear the alarms going off and understand that whatever we thought we weren’t capable of doing yesterday, we damn sure better dig down deep and find those capabilities and do it really damn fast!
My grandfather and great uncles fought in WWII. His grandfather fought in the Civil War. My great uncle served in Patton’s Seventh and Third Army in Italy and France. My other grandfather was a US Marine and fought in Korea, where he was injured in battle.
My “second dad” served in the US Navy during Vietnam. My uncle served in Vietnam. My cousins served, lots of them.
My older brother joined the Army NG in high school and became an officer and a helicopter pilot. He served 14 years, left and then went back. He is currently serving a six year run as a Blackhawk pilot in the NG.
My dad was born with a deformed foot and was not able to serve, but he worked hard every day of his life and fought through health problems that would have made most people give up before they were 30. He fought a terminal disease that was supposed to end his life in six months, so he fought and scrapped and clawed six more years until his inspiring life story ended at the age of 54.
My greatest regret in life was not joining the USMC or Army when I was younger. I’m too old and my body is too broken down to join, now. So, I will use the strongest parts of my body I have left, my heart and my mind, to fight a different type of battle to make them proud of the “hillbilly” they all taught to always stand for what’s right and to fight your heart out. I owe them for making me the man, husband, father and citizen that I have become. So, I’ll be damned if I let them down, now, when our country needs us to fight like our democracy depends on it… BECAUSE IT DOES!!!
I’m going to do everything in my power to match the courage, strength and
bad-assness that Olivia of Troye has displayed to the world!
Thanks for the reminders, Olivia. Inspiring final note. Sadly and disturbingly, trump, musk,miller and the rest of the trump death cult have little regard for anyone, including children. They don't give a damn about cutting weather forecasting to the bone and then children dying from flash floods that may have been anticipated if NOAA, NWS and weather analysis were still at full strength. Can you imagine the blow back if Biden or Obama cut NOAA and children died because of it? ted cruz woulsd be raging on the senate floor instead of hiding in his basement afraid to say anything derogatory about the trump kill bill.
trump's Alligator Auschwitz will be a death camp on par with the El Salvador nightmare, but desantis, trump,and gop will have children in death row cages and not just adults. trump and the maga cult have no soul, and make Ji Jones, David Koresh, and Charles Manson blush at their disregard for human life. Lucifer was overhead saying he had to up his game to keep yp to the trump cruelty. Hundreds of thousands have died because little marco followed his fuhrer and closed USAID. Tens of thousands of children have starved to death so trump and musk could take a victory lap on saving a couple dollars so they could feed the wealthy more needless tax cuts.
Abandoning Ukraine in favor of the Butcher of Bucha also shows that the trump admin has no quarrel with democracy, or children dyingat the hands of a murderous dictator. trump is likely quite enamored with ho his good pal putin can kill indiscriminately.
So many more will die because of the sadistic, immoral, reprehensible, inhumane, cruel trump admin. But the way republicans and the trump maga cult are acting, they probably feel fulfilled seeing so many die needlessly. I hate to be a downer, but there is no other explanation for the abject cruelty and disregard for life from trump and his cult.
The WaPo nuclear strike simulation is all too realistic, and may be ignored by some as "unlikely to happen" The article stops before the full extent may be understood. As Annie Jacobsen describes in her book "Nuclear War", the full extent may be far worse. It does not make for pleasant reading and I am not sure the most recent administrations would have been/are up to the task of preventing the worst outcomes.
This all makes me shake with rage and what ifs...what if Dems or President Biden had done any of this? I plead with Democrats to flood all media with the facts of the awful bill and what is happening with the Supreme Court!!
Thank you, Olivia. I do appreciate your knowledge and expertise to help us find strength in the middle of the chaos.
Thanks Olivia! Like you, I was one of the Final Finishers in my marathon! Looking forward to the film!
I ran the marathon with the goal of crossing the finish line..and if it meant being the turtle bringing up the rear then so be it.🐢 Congratulations on finishing the race, Beth!
Ditto!
The article about the nuclear blast has always been concerning to those of us in close proximity to DC. 9/11 was especially scary when the Pentagon hit. Living in Annapolis knew many who worked in government or over at NSA.
Thank you for your Light in the darkness of this country.
Thank you for all the info and keep it coming Olivia! It's bleak but then again we have to know about it and smoke and mirrors are not an option!
I'm reading this on Sunday morning, with strong black tea, not covfefe, and it's a great mix to greet the new day with -- but #4 gives me the chills. I was 11 in October 1962. I was starting to pay attention to the news in the daily paper, not just the funnies. The Cuban missile crisis was underway. You could hear my town's fire whistle all over town. Every call box in town had its own pattern, so if you counted the blasts -- 3-4-1, 2-5-3, etc. -- and checked the list that the town put out, you could figure out where the fire was. There were also two Civil Defense signals: Repeated staccato blasts meant "attack imminent." A long sustained blast meant "attack likely." One night a long sustained blast woke me up. I knew what it meant. I got out of bed. In the hallway I ran into my father. It had woken him up too. It was the only time in my life that I saw him scared.
As it turned out, the Russians weren't coming: the town's fire whistle had just gotten stuck. But almost 63 years later I remember it in my gut. Some eight years later, as a college student, I took a course called "War and Peace." It wasn't about Tolstoy's novel; it focused on then current weapons of war, including nuclear bombs. We learned about "blast radius" of bombs much larger than those dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki -- how extensive the immediate damage would be. We learned from the experience of those cities that the damage extended beyond that and went on for years. These days the bombs are far bigger than that. I don't know what the blast radius would be or how long the damage would last. I don't want to know. It's terrifying enough to know that these weapons exist, and that some people consider using them.
"Let’s just say: truth is not his strong suit, even machines agree."
And the irony is that part of his big, beautiful bending over of the US bill deregulates AI, so expect more fact-checking to come.
Love your comments. Especially because they include more than just current politics. Here's one I' read that is worth passing on: David Brooks had a column yesterday (or the 2nd) about AI and suggesting that "brain-only" essays can be superior to AI assisted or AI only essays. Very interesting and am sure quite controversial. Bernie
Oh! Interesting. I’ll check it out Bernie!
And terrifying to know who has the nuclear codes. 🤯🤯😡😡
😬 I know…
Thank you Olivia for the update. Yes the executive branch has full control over the legislative branch and the judicial branch is folding. It will soon be one ruling the whole shebang .
The Alligator Auchwitchz is another deplorable concentration camp situated in a hostile environment infested with mosquitoes, pythons, panthers, alligators and the odd anaconda in the sweltering steamy 120 degree heat. Three thousand beds sheltered in tents that have no running water or toilet facilities. are not rated for hurricanes .To be processed within 48 hours of arrival by deputized National Guardsmen is a sick joke. Who is there that will represent the alleged brown immigrant criminal. Trump says it will house “some of the most vicious people on the planet” and the “worst of the worst.” It’s never a mistake to predict it will get worse with Trump and his hateful, lawless, authoritarian regime. I shudder to imagine the pleasure Trump will convey if and when an escapee is eaten or killed by an alligator. Its hard to imagine that he, Noem and the sadistic Trump advisor Stephen Miller are not planning other camps and other ways to punish migrants and other unwanted people that they demonize.
Can’t read about the nuclear scenario since it’s behind a paywall. Not willing to give Bezos the dollar it costs to read it. Anyone have a non paywall link would be appreciated. Keep up the great work Olivia!
I double checked and re-upped the gifted article link. Hopefully it works for you now!
Correctly done right or correctly, socialism actually is not that bad because that's pretty much if you look at everything that Trump and the Rs are taking away it's mostly social support programs like snap, Medicare or Medicaid, VA benefits other programs that benefit all Americans and not just a bunch of billionaires or people that make over $400,000
Democratic candidate mayor of New York possibly has the right message if you go into the detail.
If you look into it Democratic socialism is pretty much what we had since the mid 60s, get your act together and look into the detail you might be surprised!
social care is also the Fire Departments!
Agreed - rather than talking about the “label” - talk about what the candidate is proposing.
The Republicans are pushing fascism and white supremacy. but do they admit it no!
Look at Europe. Such "terrible" countries to live in.
Alright maga… you called down the thunder, well now you've got it!
I see a red hat, I crush the person wearing it!
You tell 'em I'm coming... and hell's coming with me, you hear?
Hell’s coming with me!!!
I am meeting with the head of the county Democratic party on Wednesday to discuss running for the US House seat or the state representative seat next year.
Do I have any money, no. Have I ever ran for public office before, no. Do I have any experience in politics, no. Do I think I can run a campaign via social media and town halls and knocking on doors and KICK THAT ARROGANT PRICK’S ASS, YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT BECAUSE I SURE AS HELL DO!!!
He’s the one that said getting his picture with the president was “pretty cool” and trump likes it when “he’s on tv, so that’s pretty cool, too.” Then he goes and votes for the Bill That Kills.
Then, he said “if people would get their ass off the couch and get a job, they wouldn’t have to worry about the Medicaid cuts.”
Well, timmy boy, this pharmacist who came out of a 700 sqft, three-room house where his mechanic dad and school cafeteria worker mom raised their two sons and a great-nephew they took-in is going to send you and your “opportunistic Carhartt” jacket back to Knoxville without that congressional pin on your lapel.
The politicians and the news media and the people with a platform did not listen when those of us who knew what was coming tried to warn them.
Even now, I still see prominent people saying things like “they have to do” or “have to follow” laws and procedures or “norms”. That’s all over. They are trump and stephen miller’s secret police, the only rules they have to follow are trump’s. They don’t give a 💩 about the rule of law as we knew it. They are the law. Trump said it out loud several time.
Whatever you think they can’t do because of law and order or the judiciary or congress or having integrity or a soul, they can and they will do it. That’s the reality for everybody, now. Trump has his “Sturmabteilung” and his SD and SS and gestapo and abwehr, curtesy of the supreme court conservatives and the republican party of depraved cowards.
It’s all or nothing from today until the midterm “elections” next year. We either crush them in both chambers of congress and at the state level, or we prepare to fight a civil war to retake our government and our democracy. Anybody that doesn’t see that or doesn’t want to believe it at this point, is just standing in our way. And I’m too damn old and too broken down for that, so it’s hammer down until the polls close next November!!!
We are now three steps behind and climbing out of a hole. Everyone of us has to hear the alarms going off and understand that whatever we thought we weren’t capable of doing yesterday, we damn sure better dig down deep and find those capabilities and do it really damn fast!
My grandfather and great uncles fought in WWII. His grandfather fought in the Civil War. My great uncle served in Patton’s Seventh and Third Army in Italy and France. My other grandfather was a US Marine and fought in Korea, where he was injured in battle.
My “second dad” served in the US Navy during Vietnam. My uncle served in Vietnam. My cousins served, lots of them.
My older brother joined the Army NG in high school and became an officer and a helicopter pilot. He served 14 years, left and then went back. He is currently serving a six year run as a Blackhawk pilot in the NG.
My dad was born with a deformed foot and was not able to serve, but he worked hard every day of his life and fought through health problems that would have made most people give up before they were 30. He fought a terminal disease that was supposed to end his life in six months, so he fought and scrapped and clawed six more years until his inspiring life story ended at the age of 54.
My greatest regret in life was not joining the USMC or Army when I was younger. I’m too old and my body is too broken down to join, now. So, I will use the strongest parts of my body I have left, my heart and my mind, to fight a different type of battle to make them proud of the “hillbilly” they all taught to always stand for what’s right and to fight your heart out. I owe them for making me the man, husband, father and citizen that I have become. So, I’ll be damned if I let them down, now, when our country needs us to fight like our democracy depends on it… BECAUSE IT DOES!!!
I’m going to do everything in my power to match the courage, strength and
bad-assness that Olivia of Troye has displayed to the world!
Thanks for the reminders, Olivia. Inspiring final note. Sadly and disturbingly, trump, musk,miller and the rest of the trump death cult have little regard for anyone, including children. They don't give a damn about cutting weather forecasting to the bone and then children dying from flash floods that may have been anticipated if NOAA, NWS and weather analysis were still at full strength. Can you imagine the blow back if Biden or Obama cut NOAA and children died because of it? ted cruz woulsd be raging on the senate floor instead of hiding in his basement afraid to say anything derogatory about the trump kill bill.
trump's Alligator Auschwitz will be a death camp on par with the El Salvador nightmare, but desantis, trump,and gop will have children in death row cages and not just adults. trump and the maga cult have no soul, and make Ji Jones, David Koresh, and Charles Manson blush at their disregard for human life. Lucifer was overhead saying he had to up his game to keep yp to the trump cruelty. Hundreds of thousands have died because little marco followed his fuhrer and closed USAID. Tens of thousands of children have starved to death so trump and musk could take a victory lap on saving a couple dollars so they could feed the wealthy more needless tax cuts.
Abandoning Ukraine in favor of the Butcher of Bucha also shows that the trump admin has no quarrel with democracy, or children dyingat the hands of a murderous dictator. trump is likely quite enamored with ho his good pal putin can kill indiscriminately.
So many more will die because of the sadistic, immoral, reprehensible, inhumane, cruel trump admin. But the way republicans and the trump maga cult are acting, they probably feel fulfilled seeing so many die needlessly. I hate to be a downer, but there is no other explanation for the abject cruelty and disregard for life from trump and his cult.
The WaPo nuclear strike simulation is all too realistic, and may be ignored by some as "unlikely to happen" The article stops before the full extent may be understood. As Annie Jacobsen describes in her book "Nuclear War", the full extent may be far worse. It does not make for pleasant reading and I am not sure the most recent administrations would have been/are up to the task of preventing the worst outcomes.