I would just like to comment on the word "coverup". In order to have a coverup, something bad should have happened. What decision did Biden make that threatened national security, the economy or our allies?
I do not know about others, but my thoughts and emotions have long passed issues that were of higher priority in the first Trump administration.
Our Ship of State is about to run aground due to the reckless behavior of a megalomaniacal captain. The crew's rights have been abrogated; they are being unjustifiably whipped daily and made to sacrifice the quality of their lives to augment the ego and wealth of the captain.
This is not an appropriate time for the crew to discuss the captain's transgressions versus the crew's periodic laxity in obedience, because all will be lost if the ship hits that reef.
The crew must act expediently, and their first focus should be on "what can be done under maritime law to remove the captain from his blatant violations and his incompetence. The crew has noted and detailed the actions of the captain that substantiate his wish to Destroy our Great Enterprise (DOGE). The priority must be to Save Our Ship (SOS).
I want to spend whatever time is left in my life on RESOLUTION- solving the problem. I do not need further discourse that leads to frustration without gratification. I want to fix what is broken, and what is life threatening.
Perhaps others who signed up for Notes from the Circus have the same motive.
Sally, I think the mainstream media reaction to Trump & Myrmidons is basically what the wall plaque said in my basement during my high school days:
"We get too soon old and too late smart."
Almost all of America, and for sure the mainstream media (TV, Radio, Periodicals, Newspapers) are stuck in the rationalization phase regarding Trump et al. They have yet to enter the Realization phase. They are nowhere close to the Kübler-Ross "acceptance" phase.
We have a Fascist POTUS, we have a Fascist GOP in the House and a little less so in the Senate, and we have the most immoral, incompetent, and fascist appointees in the Cabinet. WTF are we going to do about this horrible situation that voting Americans allowed to happen?
Can the House GOP be shaken up and woken up? Is Democracy terminal in the US?
From what I have seen of the Republican House & Senate, I opine that the American public has allowed the Rape of Lady Liberty. Democracy has been abandoned, far afield.
I hope to be wrong, but I see America as the Land of Opportunism, and this has come about because the Land of Opportunity gave way to the Land of "Obesity." By that, I mean figuratively and literally. We have become the Roman Empire of 180-235 AD.
Our nation's leadership during my lifetime has been mediocre at best. It has lacked LUV (Legacy, Unity, Vision). Instead, it is characterized by AIL: Apathy, Indifference to cause, and lack of Unity. Americans have grown fat and lazy, and the implications of obesity are systemic. It is not just cosmetic. It relates to the health of the corpus, the body.
I am 82 and beset with multiple medical challenges. My reality is that the best part of my life is over. My concern is for my children and my wife. This is where all Americans should be concerned about- our legacy. How did we leave this place, better or worse? I say we have failed. We have allowed one Administration after another to get by, but not to advance and RESOLVE. Besides myself, I can think of many people who would have been far better Presidents, Congressmen, Senators, or Cabinet members. We have picked (voted) for mediocrity, the middle of the bell-shaped curve. And guess what, that bell-shaped curve has moved further and further to the left to where our current POTUS is the stupidest and most pathological president in the history of this country- "like never before."
The American people, in their stupidity, ignorance, laxity, and/or racist mindset, have accomplished the death of Democracy by voting into office the poster boy of corruption, ego mania, self-dealing, and betrayal of human rights. Trump is the ultimate buffoon. He is the Adolf Hinkel of Charley Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Time will tell, but I aver that Trump is Putin's Useful Idiot. And that idiot has managed to find many others to join him in his Cabinet as well as mesmerize the GOP.
What befuddles me is that there are many brilliant people in this country. How did we F up so badly? By 2026, Trump will be in full dictator mode.
There is no simple way out of this. It's a terribly heartbreaking convergence of events and without urgent, immediate succession planning for the D seats in the house held by folks in their 70's and 80's there is no conceivable way of stopping the next wave of destruction by the regime.
Demonstrations of a massive degree, such as those seen in other countries.
Protests in both assembly and letters, emails to GOP members of the House and Senate- but I doubt if votes will be changed.
Firm decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), but unlikely to be adhered to.
Every celebrity, every notable, every mainstream media person to stand up as Bruce Springsteen and not bend the knee to Tyrant Trump. Don't think so because Americans are pussies.
Active revolutionary action against the Trump Administration. That would be grounds for action by Trump's police or the US Military against the Citizenry. In America, such aggressive disobedience is a crime. I would not advocate for any person to recommend that.
Those are the obvious and not-so-obvious actions. I do not see the Democratic National Party doing anything that will turn the tide of Fascism.
America has become a nation of wimps and sycophants. I can't get my family to agree to leave. I'm the Jew in Nazi, Germany, and given all my service to my country I cannot fathom they would harm me, torture me or gas me.
A “coverup” revealed offends us more than a lie asserted boldly. There’s a feeling of betrayal in the coverup’s dark secretiveness, with added disdain for the cowardice of it all. While the bold liar is too often begrudgingly respected for his supposedly fearless audacity regardless of the harm. There’s no moral equivalency between the harms done from the Biden coverup - which harms are mostly conjecture about how the election outcome would’ve differed if there had been no coverup, or “what ifs?” - and the real measurable existential harms done by Trump’s bold lies and wantonly destructive acts. But Biden’s coverup has that unmistakable stink of betrayal - the bitter stink of a lost opportunity to have won the election and, thus, prevented our current existential crisis. And that’s a stink that’s not easily dispersed…
Agree. It’s pure conjecture whether the election outcome would’ve differed had Biden announced early on that he would not seek a second term and had the Dem nominee - Harris or someone else nominated through the Dem convention - had more time and support. Like you, I don’t think it would’ve necessarily mattered. Especially since, among multiple other verifiable reasons, there’s this nagging suspicion (factually unsupported to date) that the anomalous 2024 swing state outcomes were “rigged” - after all, Trump routinely projects onto others (that the 2020 election was rigged) what he intends to do himself (rig the 2024 election)…
I don't "listen" and will watch for transcripts, but based on the quick summary here, my push-back would be that individuals can be in the right place morally, but our institutions tend towards amorality. Even if every person close to Biden felt that it would be right to publicize his weakness, would the party as a collective organization have had the capacity to take this action?
Governments, non-profits, political parties and maybe even corporations have to embed their moral principles in rules, regulations, grants, tax policy etc. (Mission statements and platforms are meaningless.) But the innate amorality of the institutional system, with its overwhelming "will" to survival, will always constantly push back on collective good intentions. A pessimistic viewpoint to be sure, but one that I can't escape.
Your piece on Rand was as profound as most of your writings. Yet, so verbose. You love prose, and you are brutally eloquent, so your readers likely split into two demographics: consumers of emotional perspective and rationalists who want to get to the point. The overlap is your target but it is a small overlap compared to the total you could address by bifurcating your brand into two styles: rap-digest and bullet-logic. May I suggest you do a piece specifically designed to solicit feedback on writing style? Your ability in this regard is likely more unique than you like to imagine, so by imagining all of us a single reader, you may be avoiding an opportunity to leverage a competitive differentiator into a wider audience(s).
I would just like to comment on the word "coverup". In order to have a coverup, something bad should have happened. What decision did Biden make that threatened national security, the economy or our allies?
I am so incredibly grateful for your insistence for a clear moral and ethical message. Thank you Mike
How to protect our family? I do not see that anyone in power understands the existential threat to our entire civilization
So true! Nobody’s perfect, one can always find a stone to throw, but some stones are pebbles and some are giant boulders. The magnitude matters.
I do not know about others, but my thoughts and emotions have long passed issues that were of higher priority in the first Trump administration.
Our Ship of State is about to run aground due to the reckless behavior of a megalomaniacal captain. The crew's rights have been abrogated; they are being unjustifiably whipped daily and made to sacrifice the quality of their lives to augment the ego and wealth of the captain.
This is not an appropriate time for the crew to discuss the captain's transgressions versus the crew's periodic laxity in obedience, because all will be lost if the ship hits that reef.
The crew must act expediently, and their first focus should be on "what can be done under maritime law to remove the captain from his blatant violations and his incompetence. The crew has noted and detailed the actions of the captain that substantiate his wish to Destroy our Great Enterprise (DOGE). The priority must be to Save Our Ship (SOS).
I want to spend whatever time is left in my life on RESOLUTION- solving the problem. I do not need further discourse that leads to frustration without gratification. I want to fix what is broken, and what is life threatening.
Perhaps others who signed up for Notes from the Circus have the same motive.
Sally, I think the mainstream media reaction to Trump & Myrmidons is basically what the wall plaque said in my basement during my high school days:
"We get too soon old and too late smart."
Almost all of America, and for sure the mainstream media (TV, Radio, Periodicals, Newspapers) are stuck in the rationalization phase regarding Trump et al. They have yet to enter the Realization phase. They are nowhere close to the Kübler-Ross "acceptance" phase.
We have a Fascist POTUS, we have a Fascist GOP in the House and a little less so in the Senate, and we have the most immoral, incompetent, and fascist appointees in the Cabinet. WTF are we going to do about this horrible situation that voting Americans allowed to happen?
Can the House GOP be shaken up and woken up? Is Democracy terminal in the US?
From what I have seen of the Republican House & Senate, I opine that the American public has allowed the Rape of Lady Liberty. Democracy has been abandoned, far afield.
I hope to be wrong, but I see America as the Land of Opportunism, and this has come about because the Land of Opportunity gave way to the Land of "Obesity." By that, I mean figuratively and literally. We have become the Roman Empire of 180-235 AD.
Our nation's leadership during my lifetime has been mediocre at best. It has lacked LUV (Legacy, Unity, Vision). Instead, it is characterized by AIL: Apathy, Indifference to cause, and lack of Unity. Americans have grown fat and lazy, and the implications of obesity are systemic. It is not just cosmetic. It relates to the health of the corpus, the body.
I am 82 and beset with multiple medical challenges. My reality is that the best part of my life is over. My concern is for my children and my wife. This is where all Americans should be concerned about- our legacy. How did we leave this place, better or worse? I say we have failed. We have allowed one Administration after another to get by, but not to advance and RESOLVE. Besides myself, I can think of many people who would have been far better Presidents, Congressmen, Senators, or Cabinet members. We have picked (voted) for mediocrity, the middle of the bell-shaped curve. And guess what, that bell-shaped curve has moved further and further to the left to where our current POTUS is the stupidest and most pathological president in the history of this country- "like never before."
The American people, in their stupidity, ignorance, laxity, and/or racist mindset, have accomplished the death of Democracy by voting into office the poster boy of corruption, ego mania, self-dealing, and betrayal of human rights. Trump is the ultimate buffoon. He is the Adolf Hinkel of Charley Chaplin's The Great Dictator. Time will tell, but I aver that Trump is Putin's Useful Idiot. And that idiot has managed to find many others to join him in his Cabinet as well as mesmerize the GOP.
What befuddles me is that there are many brilliant people in this country. How did we F up so badly? By 2026, Trump will be in full dictator mode.
Now, what in the world are we going to DO?
There is no simple way out of this. It's a terribly heartbreaking convergence of events and without urgent, immediate succession planning for the D seats in the house held by folks in their 70's and 80's there is no conceivable way of stopping the next wave of destruction by the regime.
Demonstrations of a massive degree, such as those seen in other countries.
Protests in both assembly and letters, emails to GOP members of the House and Senate- but I doubt if votes will be changed.
Firm decisions by the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS), but unlikely to be adhered to.
Every celebrity, every notable, every mainstream media person to stand up as Bruce Springsteen and not bend the knee to Tyrant Trump. Don't think so because Americans are pussies.
Active revolutionary action against the Trump Administration. That would be grounds for action by Trump's police or the US Military against the Citizenry. In America, such aggressive disobedience is a crime. I would not advocate for any person to recommend that.
Those are the obvious and not-so-obvious actions. I do not see the Democratic National Party doing anything that will turn the tide of Fascism.
America has become a nation of wimps and sycophants. I can't get my family to agree to leave. I'm the Jew in Nazi, Germany, and given all my service to my country I cannot fathom they would harm me, torture me or gas me.
A “coverup” revealed offends us more than a lie asserted boldly. There’s a feeling of betrayal in the coverup’s dark secretiveness, with added disdain for the cowardice of it all. While the bold liar is too often begrudgingly respected for his supposedly fearless audacity regardless of the harm. There’s no moral equivalency between the harms done from the Biden coverup - which harms are mostly conjecture about how the election outcome would’ve differed if there had been no coverup, or “what ifs?” - and the real measurable existential harms done by Trump’s bold lies and wantonly destructive acts. But Biden’s coverup has that unmistakable stink of betrayal - the bitter stink of a lost opportunity to have won the election and, thus, prevented our current existential crisis. And that’s a stink that’s not easily dispersed…
Agree. It’s pure conjecture whether the election outcome would’ve differed had Biden announced early on that he would not seek a second term and had the Dem nominee - Harris or someone else nominated through the Dem convention - had more time and support. Like you, I don’t think it would’ve necessarily mattered. Especially since, among multiple other verifiable reasons, there’s this nagging suspicion (factually unsupported to date) that the anomalous 2024 swing state outcomes were “rigged” - after all, Trump routinely projects onto others (that the 2020 election was rigged) what he intends to do himself (rig the 2024 election)…
As was said during WWII - the pessimists went to New York and the optimists went to Auschwitz.
It won’t affect a lot of people until it hits their wallet!
I don't "listen" and will watch for transcripts, but based on the quick summary here, my push-back would be that individuals can be in the right place morally, but our institutions tend towards amorality. Even if every person close to Biden felt that it would be right to publicize his weakness, would the party as a collective organization have had the capacity to take this action?
Governments, non-profits, political parties and maybe even corporations have to embed their moral principles in rules, regulations, grants, tax policy etc. (Mission statements and platforms are meaningless.) But the innate amorality of the institutional system, with its overwhelming "will" to survival, will always constantly push back on collective good intentions. A pessimistic viewpoint to be sure, but one that I can't escape.
Your piece on Rand was as profound as most of your writings. Yet, so verbose. You love prose, and you are brutally eloquent, so your readers likely split into two demographics: consumers of emotional perspective and rationalists who want to get to the point. The overlap is your target but it is a small overlap compared to the total you could address by bifurcating your brand into two styles: rap-digest and bullet-logic. May I suggest you do a piece specifically designed to solicit feedback on writing style? Your ability in this regard is likely more unique than you like to imagine, so by imagining all of us a single reader, you may be avoiding an opportunity to leverage a competitive differentiator into a wider audience(s).