I too have been offered proposals that Rubio will be the saviour. Apparently he’s written some seriously dense and well-researched papers on China, for instance. I respect that. I don’t think he’s dumb. But so far I haven’t been convinced that there’s much daylight between him and the goals set by Project 25. I remember him sitting there mute, while trump, vance and various WH freeloaders humiliated Zelenskyy last year. Was he once an honourable man? If so, that man is gone.
Thank you for reminding me of the term “Pollyanna.” It could almost be a synonym for “gaslighting.” At the very least, it’s cotton candy when real nutrition is needed.
Don't overlook how the Houthis in Yemen are planning to step up harassing shipping in the Bab-el-Mandab around the Horn of Africa, which will strangle the Suez Canal, which in turn will force cargo ships to go around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing demand for fuel despite the shorter supply of oil. Also, a third of the world's exported fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so we are looking at food shortages and famines all over the world.
(The Houthis attempted to close the Bab-el-Mandab to support Hamas at the start of the Israel-Hamas war, but these efforts proved less than fruitful because the US sent an aircraft carrier to the area to counter Houthi missiles and drones. This time those naval resources are deployed elsewhere.)
I place the suffering, death and misery that will result from this squarely at the feet of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
We have chosen wealth and social status over respect for our fellow human beings, at whatever status they may occupy. If we can’t remember “there but for the grace of God go I” we have jettisoned our membership in humanity. We are so bedazzled by our own egos that whether we look right or left all we can see is our own self importance.
Another astute observation, Mike. Thank you for sending it into the ethers of the Substack Universe.
I was unaware that Netanyahu had funded Hamas. Where was THAT reporting (and why am I not surprised to learn of it now?)
I doubt that we are getting a full account of what is really happening in this war - there have been some reports that all of our military bases have been hit in the Middle East, our embassy has been hit, airfields have been hit, two of our aircraft carriers have been hit, five air tankers were hit - but where are the news headlines; where are the on-the-ground reporters?
The Florsheim and Mamdani stories are also designed to divert our attention from the Trump-Epstein files, where financial and sex-trafficking connections run directly from Epstein to leaders in our administration, the Mussad, the Near East, Middle East and Russia. The corruption “that must remain hidden” is the reason we entered this war in the first place.
I agree. Still trying to find the words about how bizarre and unsettling the shoes thing is (to use some clichés.) There are plenty of fecal and obscene metaphors for the general behavior. Perhaps it's the eagerness for public (and ritualistic, as Cathy suggests here) humiliation that triggers this deeper disquietude.
Maybe Mike can explain what's going on with us here.
When the men gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention, after signing the Declaration of Independence and during the Revolutionary War, they unanimously agreed on two conditions that needed to be protected in creating this new government.
First, they need to find a way to prevent any emperor, monarch, or other ruler from governing this country. They established a government with three branches instead of just one.
Second, power in the country would rest entirely with the citizens; they should constantly correct and oversee the government through their votes. These men created a separate branch of government where the people's representatives would vote on and supervise the other two branches; they believed this would keep power in the hands of the citizens. These two principles had to be incorporated into the design of this constitution: no rule by kings and government oversight by the citizens.
Today, we have a madman in the White House, billionaires with their money controlling Congress, two Supreme Court justices on their payroll, and they are working to reduce the voting power of citizens, so we are suffering.
Unfortunately, two conditions were beyond their understanding. If they had known about these two conditions when designing this government, they might have changed the map or the ideas in their constitution. Remember, in 1787, the population of the Thirteen Colonies was 4 million, and their western border was the Mississippi River. If they had known that their country would grow to a population of 380 million and cover a land area of 3.8 million square miles, I believe they would have put safeguards in place, such as limiting the country's territory to its current size. They were representatives of the thirteen states, aiming to control the conditions that would give them a sense of limits and control. The future expansion of this country would threaten their way of thinking, so they would limit their own growth by excluding other territories.
The next step beyond their recognition was the future existence of billionaires and MAGA organizations that would control their country with their wealth; they were not royalty or kings, but their power was such that they could force the government into submission. If they had known about this possibility, I think they would have included controlling documents in the Constitution. Even with whatever precautions they implement, we are witnessing our democratic government die, along with our way of life and our values, which are disappearing and being destroyed.
I understand that death is an ongoing process in nature; things die, leading to new growth. We are witnessing the decline of our government, marking the end of a 250-year chapter. We don't have a king ruling us, but other forces are taking control and limiting our citizens' ability to voice their opinions through votes. These changes are happening, and as a result, our government is dying. The compost of dead things can serve as fertilizer for something new.
We know one thing about our enormous, unruly, diverse, and dysfunctional states: how their size contributes to stagnation in our government, where factions clash and wait for their turn to take control and push their ideas. We see this daily and observe the variety of ideas, principles, and rules of social responsibility that have existed throughout our history. This is our compost, and we must grow from it to build a new and better government. We are aware of and accept corruption in every aspect of our lives—our government, our businesses—and consider it inevitable. If we returned control of our government to the smaller states, they could better manage corruption. Smaller states would allow for greater oversight of abuses and corruption. America, we are a land of creative thinkers, and we can use our current circumstances as compost for our future ideas.
Scroll past most of what I see for this exact reason! Mike thanks for your consistent and thoughtful clarity. I recommend Robert L Arnold for more brilliant analysis. Please check his posts.
For those still looking for a pleasant off ramp it is extremely difficult getting around with your head up your ass. You constantly lose your balance & fall over. Not to mention you can’t see where you’re going. It’s tough.
Terrific observations.
I too have been offered proposals that Rubio will be the saviour. Apparently he’s written some seriously dense and well-researched papers on China, for instance. I respect that. I don’t think he’s dumb. But so far I haven’t been convinced that there’s much daylight between him and the goals set by Project 25. I remember him sitting there mute, while trump, vance and various WH freeloaders humiliated Zelenskyy last year. Was he once an honourable man? If so, that man is gone.
Call me captain obvious over her but it appears that the world is moving faster than the Atlantic’s editorial decisions.
Very well put.
Thank you for reminding me of the term “Pollyanna.” It could almost be a synonym for “gaslighting.” At the very least, it’s cotton candy when real nutrition is needed.
Bravo
Jeffrey Goldberg is gonna keep Jeffrey Goldberg-ing and there ain’t anything you can do about. I feel your pain.
Please. I’m a loyal Bulwark reader and subscriber and I guarantee that no one there has the slightest regard for Rubio. None whatsoever.
Sorry, I missed an edit. I mean to praise both The Bulwark and Lincoln Square.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I'm more of a Linkin Park fan
I apologize for misinterpreting your intentions, and assume you are similarly enamored of the WSJ editorial board.
Ok then.
https://substack.com/@mikebrock/note/c-227952207?utm_source=notes-share-action&r=1xag6
Don't overlook how the Houthis in Yemen are planning to step up harassing shipping in the Bab-el-Mandab around the Horn of Africa, which will strangle the Suez Canal, which in turn will force cargo ships to go around the Cape of Good Hope, increasing demand for fuel despite the shorter supply of oil. Also, a third of the world's exported fertilizer passes through the Strait of Hormuz, so we are looking at food shortages and famines all over the world.
(The Houthis attempted to close the Bab-el-Mandab to support Hamas at the start of the Israel-Hamas war, but these efforts proved less than fruitful because the US sent an aircraft carrier to the area to counter Houthi missiles and drones. This time those naval resources are deployed elsewhere.)
I place the suffering, death and misery that will result from this squarely at the feet of Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
We have chosen wealth and social status over respect for our fellow human beings, at whatever status they may occupy. If we can’t remember “there but for the grace of God go I” we have jettisoned our membership in humanity. We are so bedazzled by our own egos that whether we look right or left all we can see is our own self importance.
Another astute observation, Mike. Thank you for sending it into the ethers of the Substack Universe.
I was unaware that Netanyahu had funded Hamas. Where was THAT reporting (and why am I not surprised to learn of it now?)
I doubt that we are getting a full account of what is really happening in this war - there have been some reports that all of our military bases have been hit in the Middle East, our embassy has been hit, airfields have been hit, two of our aircraft carriers have been hit, five air tankers were hit - but where are the news headlines; where are the on-the-ground reporters?
The Florsheim and Mamdani stories are also designed to divert our attention from the Trump-Epstein files, where financial and sex-trafficking connections run directly from Epstein to leaders in our administration, the Mussad, the Near East, Middle East and Russia. The corruption “that must remain hidden” is the reason we entered this war in the first place.
The shoes story is much more than distraction in my opinion. It’s terrifying on its own. There are absolutely no guardrails around a maniac president.
I agree. Still trying to find the words about how bizarre and unsettling the shoes thing is (to use some clichés.) There are plenty of fecal and obscene metaphors for the general behavior. Perhaps it's the eagerness for public (and ritualistic, as Cathy suggests here) humiliation that triggers this deeper disquietude.
Maybe Mike can explain what's going on with us here.
Yes. It is another trumpy loyalty unto ritual humiliation test of his minions.
SOMETHING IS DYING
When the men gathered in Philadelphia in 1787 at the Constitutional Convention, after signing the Declaration of Independence and during the Revolutionary War, they unanimously agreed on two conditions that needed to be protected in creating this new government.
First, they need to find a way to prevent any emperor, monarch, or other ruler from governing this country. They established a government with three branches instead of just one.
Second, power in the country would rest entirely with the citizens; they should constantly correct and oversee the government through their votes. These men created a separate branch of government where the people's representatives would vote on and supervise the other two branches; they believed this would keep power in the hands of the citizens. These two principles had to be incorporated into the design of this constitution: no rule by kings and government oversight by the citizens.
Today, we have a madman in the White House, billionaires with their money controlling Congress, two Supreme Court justices on their payroll, and they are working to reduce the voting power of citizens, so we are suffering.
Unfortunately, two conditions were beyond their understanding. If they had known about these two conditions when designing this government, they might have changed the map or the ideas in their constitution. Remember, in 1787, the population of the Thirteen Colonies was 4 million, and their western border was the Mississippi River. If they had known that their country would grow to a population of 380 million and cover a land area of 3.8 million square miles, I believe they would have put safeguards in place, such as limiting the country's territory to its current size. They were representatives of the thirteen states, aiming to control the conditions that would give them a sense of limits and control. The future expansion of this country would threaten their way of thinking, so they would limit their own growth by excluding other territories.
The next step beyond their recognition was the future existence of billionaires and MAGA organizations that would control their country with their wealth; they were not royalty or kings, but their power was such that they could force the government into submission. If they had known about this possibility, I think they would have included controlling documents in the Constitution. Even with whatever precautions they implement, we are witnessing our democratic government die, along with our way of life and our values, which are disappearing and being destroyed.
I understand that death is an ongoing process in nature; things die, leading to new growth. We are witnessing the decline of our government, marking the end of a 250-year chapter. We don't have a king ruling us, but other forces are taking control and limiting our citizens' ability to voice their opinions through votes. These changes are happening, and as a result, our government is dying. The compost of dead things can serve as fertilizer for something new.
We know one thing about our enormous, unruly, diverse, and dysfunctional states: how their size contributes to stagnation in our government, where factions clash and wait for their turn to take control and push their ideas. We see this daily and observe the variety of ideas, principles, and rules of social responsibility that have existed throughout our history. This is our compost, and we must grow from it to build a new and better government. We are aware of and accept corruption in every aspect of our lives—our government, our businesses—and consider it inevitable. If we returned control of our government to the smaller states, they could better manage corruption. Smaller states would allow for greater oversight of abuses and corruption. America, we are a land of creative thinkers, and we can use our current circumstances as compost for our future ideas.
Scroll past most of what I see for this exact reason! Mike thanks for your consistent and thoughtful clarity. I recommend Robert L Arnold for more brilliant analysis. Please check his posts.
Right On, Mike!
For those still looking for a pleasant off ramp it is extremely difficult getting around with your head up your ass. You constantly lose your balance & fall over. Not to mention you can’t see where you’re going. It’s tough.
One would hope the lot of them would die in infamy, just for the suffering they have brought to the world.