I had no idea it went back this far..... in terms of formality and organization. Thank you for the history. The road map is scarey and I clearly see it obviously in last 15 years... Since I woke up. He's right..... Play up base fears..... Play on their hopes and fears. I worry not just about the election but the role of AI in politics in say 30 years. As in FAKE interviews that look perfect.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say they see the November election as akin to Custer’s Last Stand. Or Remember the Alamo (all the more appropriate since many Texans, including the governor and much of the legislature, believe Texas is its own country. That somehow their founding and development says TX is a thing apart from the US.) it is surreal to go to Texas and see the state flag dwarf the US flag on so many flagpoles. And listen to the white men wax into mansplainery on the topic of “Texas isn’t really part of the United States.”
And that’s one state. I’ve spent a lot of time in TN talking about other work, and I am always…entertained? Appalled? Scared shitless? By some of the stuff random people come up and say.
Anyway. I’m swerving off topic.
The November election won’t eradicate this cancer. But if we can beat them handily, it will accelerate their destruction. Not without hardship for most of us. But preferable to the world they will force us to inhabit.
I'm stuck in TN for a bit longer.. Lol. Iowa raised, the Chicago for 23 years..... Massive culture shock coming here 5 years ago. If I knew then what I know now......
Texas has always been arrogant. They need some tough love.
I told someone Biden should tell Abbott they will receive no more federal funding on X date if they continue to defy federal law. Like no federal money. At all.
But many Democrats would melt down over that…even though Project 2025 will do that to blue states. So why not give them an early enema, so to speak?
I know exactly how you feel. And Chicago to anywhere in TN other than Nashville is a tough move. I was born there. My father’s family side has a long history there. So I’m not trashing it. More I get the subtext. As with so many things, it’s complex.
I agree, Biden has to take a stand against abbott, he is a bully, and Biden is going to look weak. Trump would have already squashed this by now. Of course I get that a
Abbott would never do this under the Trump regime, but you understand my point. I'm sitting here with fingers crossed that Biden is playing the long game, that he is using his years of experience as a politician and has a plan up his sleeve..... but it sure is frustrating to watch Abbott and every other Republican governor claim that they will commandeer the National Guard down to Texas if needed. On a different substack post someone had a good recommendation: deploy the Texas National Guard for a 12-month training exercise, because the feds can call up any National Guards they want.
That IS a good idea. That's the kind of creativity we need from the administration. I think Biden is competent enough and has good intentions - and most of the time that's the best you can expect from government - but idk if he's in over his head in the current historical moment. I'm concerned the whole Democratic party might be. It would be comforting to think they're playing rope-a-dope, but it might just turn out to be luck too. Or not. We'll find out in nine months.
Yeah I try to remember that the reason they're foaming at the mouth so much is that they're desperate; they're convinced that if they lose now, it's over for them (and for all of 'Western civilization'). We should consider that to be a very good thing, that we're that close to a major paradigm shift, and that maybe we could move on to addressing issues in different, more constructive ways. But we have to finish the job, and what's it going to take to do that? Can we do it relatively peacefully, or do we have to go the WWII route where the bad guys take over, the people become appalled and defeat them, and the memory of that evil motivates peace for the next generation or two?
I copied this quote for you today, Zach. (And for anyone here who needs it. Reading stuff like this is hard on our psyches.)
"If you obsess on the worst case scenario and it actually happens, you've already lived it twice. I don't wanna do that. I wanna live on a daily basis." - Michael J. Fox from an interview in today's Guardian.
Yes, spending time in spaces like this can be triggering. But without this knowledge, we cannot beat them. That's why it's important to share this information with everyone we know, to try to convince as many people to take it seriously as we possibly can NOW. Knowledge is our best weapon to defeat them.
I'm not saying that won't mean some hardship. But I hope creating this space and spending this time will contribute to a victory for freedom and democracy.
I had no idea it went back this far..... in terms of formality and organization. Thank you for the history. The road map is scarey and I clearly see it obviously in last 15 years... Since I woke up. He's right..... Play up base fears..... Play on their hopes and fears. I worry not just about the election but the role of AI in politics in say 30 years. As in FAKE interviews that look perfect.
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say they see the November election as akin to Custer’s Last Stand. Or Remember the Alamo (all the more appropriate since many Texans, including the governor and much of the legislature, believe Texas is its own country. That somehow their founding and development says TX is a thing apart from the US.) it is surreal to go to Texas and see the state flag dwarf the US flag on so many flagpoles. And listen to the white men wax into mansplainery on the topic of “Texas isn’t really part of the United States.”
And that’s one state. I’ve spent a lot of time in TN talking about other work, and I am always…entertained? Appalled? Scared shitless? By some of the stuff random people come up and say.
Anyway. I’m swerving off topic.
The November election won’t eradicate this cancer. But if we can beat them handily, it will accelerate their destruction. Not without hardship for most of us. But preferable to the world they will force us to inhabit.
I'm stuck in TN for a bit longer.. Lol. Iowa raised, the Chicago for 23 years..... Massive culture shock coming here 5 years ago. If I knew then what I know now......
Texas has always been arrogant. They need some tough love.
I told someone Biden should tell Abbott they will receive no more federal funding on X date if they continue to defy federal law. Like no federal money. At all.
But many Democrats would melt down over that…even though Project 2025 will do that to blue states. So why not give them an early enema, so to speak?
I know exactly how you feel. And Chicago to anywhere in TN other than Nashville is a tough move. I was born there. My father’s family side has a long history there. So I’m not trashing it. More I get the subtext. As with so many things, it’s complex.
I agree, Biden has to take a stand against abbott, he is a bully, and Biden is going to look weak. Trump would have already squashed this by now. Of course I get that a
Abbott would never do this under the Trump regime, but you understand my point. I'm sitting here with fingers crossed that Biden is playing the long game, that he is using his years of experience as a politician and has a plan up his sleeve..... but it sure is frustrating to watch Abbott and every other Republican governor claim that they will commandeer the National Guard down to Texas if needed. On a different substack post someone had a good recommendation: deploy the Texas National Guard for a 12-month training exercise, because the feds can call up any National Guards they want.
That IS a good idea. That's the kind of creativity we need from the administration. I think Biden is competent enough and has good intentions - and most of the time that's the best you can expect from government - but idk if he's in over his head in the current historical moment. I'm concerned the whole Democratic party might be. It would be comforting to think they're playing rope-a-dope, but it might just turn out to be luck too. Or not. We'll find out in nine months.
Guess where I got that idea? PROJECT 2025. (Preview of today's installment. I'm answering one of your questions.)
Yeah I try to remember that the reason they're foaming at the mouth so much is that they're desperate; they're convinced that if they lose now, it's over for them (and for all of 'Western civilization'). We should consider that to be a very good thing, that we're that close to a major paradigm shift, and that maybe we could move on to addressing issues in different, more constructive ways. But we have to finish the job, and what's it going to take to do that? Can we do it relatively peacefully, or do we have to go the WWII route where the bad guys take over, the people become appalled and defeat them, and the memory of that evil motivates peace for the next generation or two?
I copied this quote for you today, Zach. (And for anyone here who needs it. Reading stuff like this is hard on our psyches.)
"If you obsess on the worst case scenario and it actually happens, you've already lived it twice. I don't wanna do that. I wanna live on a daily basis." - Michael J. Fox from an interview in today's Guardian.
Yes, spending time in spaces like this can be triggering. But without this knowledge, we cannot beat them. That's why it's important to share this information with everyone we know, to try to convince as many people to take it seriously as we possibly can NOW. Knowledge is our best weapon to defeat them.
I'm not saying that won't mean some hardship. But I hope creating this space and spending this time will contribute to a victory for freedom and democracy.
Fox has a point, but I hate surprises and I feel like I've always got to be prepared. But yeah the line between that and obsession is very murky.