I'm a total partisan and probably should just send you my opinions privately. I have included some of them in my blogs and notes on Substack but have stayed away from outright proselytizing because I don't know what good it would do, plus I don't really want to receive hate mail. Possibly that makes me a coward, though I'm starting to speak out as I can't abide what's going on.
The MAGA idea and hat are basically code for the current president's agenda to turn America into his and his rich buddies' personal cash cow. He obviously doesn't care about the majority of Americans, even those who were sufficiently hoodwinked to vote for a man who represented an agenda that will harm them and almost everyone who lives in this country. America, as has every country, has always had its flaws. Its greatness is in its democratic ideals, which themselves are flawed because the Constitution the founders created had enough loopholes to allow us to elect a president with a criminal conviction who is patently unfit for the office. Extreme nationalism, which this president and his cronies are promoting, has led to endless wars, atrocities and decisions that threaten the existence of our world order and planet. I see absolutely no good in it. Some will say I'm not a patriot, but my feeling is that a patriot, like a good parent, is one that wants the best for the country or child he/she loves and holds it to account. Maybe it's not really like a parent because a parent offers unconditional love, while a true patriot in this country should have conditions that accord with democracy and freedom for ALL the people, not just the wealthy few. If I should get hate mail for this comment, so be it.
It is an indication of how dangerous these times seem to be becoming that someone who is thoughtful and articulate has begun to feel endangered to simply speak their mind Ruth. I admire you. I genuinely wish this message I sent could get to people who agree and disagree with me alike. Only when we evaluate how we come to our beliefs is there a chance of having reached sensible conclusions. I have written it many times and I ALWAYS TRY carefully to be respectful and stick to the facts. Near as I can tell there are three ways people might come to believe something:
(a) blind faith is belief in something DESPITE the presence of countermanding facts
(b) faith is belief in something in the absence of facts to support the premise
(c) reason is belief via the process of weighed evidence
I RESPECT that people can come to believe something. I just feel it important to describe the process. Faith is a powerful force in our lives. I respect it has guided humans through the ages to posit a whole lot of things. I only think it is important we know the difference and the consequences of one versus the other.
LONG AGO I wrote a post on my first go-around with Substack. I still believe it is worth considering. Besides there is a positively irresistible cute photo of an owl running. What's not to like. In your case Ruth, there is also a mystery photo that you might recognize since you have a familial connection to the Asian isles of Japan. For those of you with the time and inclination please forward to your friends if you are in the considerate mood.
I love the owl and that it's a symbol of truth (and that is a very cute picture!). I do recognize a role for faith; in some way we all depend on it to love, live, give birth and put one foot in front of the other. Blind faith I can't support, nor the absence of reason. I do agree that we must listen to opposing points of view, but it's hard if others absolutely won't listen to you and are opposed to budging on their views--and I would say that about myself as well. It's much better if you can have a friendly or even heated conversation and end up respecting each other. That seems to be becoming more and more impossible. People have become siloed in their views, living in separate communities, demonizing each other. It doesn't bode well for our future. I really enjoy that you are promoting examination of our beliefs, Mark. It could only help the situation.
Eloquent. The owl is so cool. My grandson LOVES the picture. He is currently in a puffin phase. If it were not for faith this beautiful world could have never come to be. We need it in our everyday lives. I don't know if you've ever heard the expression 'the God of the gaps'. It is the realization that we were NEVER INTENDED to know everything with certainty. It is our ESSENTIAL human nature that allows us to navigate in the gaps. This happens to be why Yuval Noah Harari has become one of recent LOVED authors. He is an Israeli Medevialist, Historian and Author. He has fascinating ideas on all sorts of things. Not sure I agree with a lot of it but there are insights into how we navigate the world. Besides I know I've never gotten to know anyone named Yuval before :)
Hi Mark, we just got back from a vacation in Hawaii and it reminded me of how much I have always loved Americans. It is important to keep this in mind during the next four years.
Thanks so much. Hawaii is awfully nice and folks have a very nice resting state of mind. Most challenges in world history have little to do with the common person — it is the leadership that decides to drive us into a ditch.
I have two favorite presidents: Barrack Obama and Jimmy Carter. I'm not a political animal, so my reasoning probably won't be too compelling, but I'll give it a try. I thought that former President Obama brought a much needed dose of dignity, humanity, and a smidgen of humor to his office. I liked him and I trusted him and, given the choice, I'd vote for him again in a heartbeat. Former Presidemt Carter was a real human being, and I loved him. I know he wasn't perfect, but the fact that he spent the rest of his life after his presidency helping people through Habitat for Humamity puts him up on my all time favorites list.
I don't wear that red hat and never have, though I have relatives and friends who do. There's no reasoning with them, which is very sad. This whole "Again" thing is tearing apart families.
I don't think America was ever "great." I'm not sure any country can really claim to be perfect. We've been pretty darn good sometimes and deplorable at others. I think the best we can aim for is to make America a decent place again, because decency does not seem to be a part of the red hat campaign for "greatness."
I just don't know. I'm rambling, so I'm going to stop now before my foot goes down any further...
Thanks for taking the time to check in and share Jeannine. I've always felt progress is a meandering path. I have strong feelings because of the way the 45 Presidency affected my family adversely. I expect the pain to be more broadly felt. Some people express that things might swing back and it will be fine. I fully expect POTUS to fulfill his promise to sell public lands to create a sovereign fund. Whether federal land, national forests or even national monuments and parks, I am quite sure that once we go down this path, we will never come back.
In my history bookclub we have read multiple books about the emergence of such government entities like the national parks service, the department of the interior and the national weather service. I am sure there are inefficiencies within them. The reality, however, is many of them emerged in the Teddy Roosevelt era when the country was close to becoming an oligarchy with characters like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan and many others. We came perilously close to losing public assets forever. Most of the rest of the world has copied our model of universal education, national parks, national forests and generally good stewardship on behalf of the public. History teaches us we are committing to giving these things up forever. Once it happens you cannot unring the bell. I hope we can salvage things at the 11th hour. I am not confident. A national sovereign fund created from public land will destroy a very important part of what makes America special.
I'm a total partisan and probably should just send you my opinions privately. I have included some of them in my blogs and notes on Substack but have stayed away from outright proselytizing because I don't know what good it would do, plus I don't really want to receive hate mail. Possibly that makes me a coward, though I'm starting to speak out as I can't abide what's going on.
The MAGA idea and hat are basically code for the current president's agenda to turn America into his and his rich buddies' personal cash cow. He obviously doesn't care about the majority of Americans, even those who were sufficiently hoodwinked to vote for a man who represented an agenda that will harm them and almost everyone who lives in this country. America, as has every country, has always had its flaws. Its greatness is in its democratic ideals, which themselves are flawed because the Constitution the founders created had enough loopholes to allow us to elect a president with a criminal conviction who is patently unfit for the office. Extreme nationalism, which this president and his cronies are promoting, has led to endless wars, atrocities and decisions that threaten the existence of our world order and planet. I see absolutely no good in it. Some will say I'm not a patriot, but my feeling is that a patriot, like a good parent, is one that wants the best for the country or child he/she loves and holds it to account. Maybe it's not really like a parent because a parent offers unconditional love, while a true patriot in this country should have conditions that accord with democracy and freedom for ALL the people, not just the wealthy few. If I should get hate mail for this comment, so be it.
It is an indication of how dangerous these times seem to be becoming that someone who is thoughtful and articulate has begun to feel endangered to simply speak their mind Ruth. I admire you. I genuinely wish this message I sent could get to people who agree and disagree with me alike. Only when we evaluate how we come to our beliefs is there a chance of having reached sensible conclusions. I have written it many times and I ALWAYS TRY carefully to be respectful and stick to the facts. Near as I can tell there are three ways people might come to believe something:
(a) blind faith is belief in something DESPITE the presence of countermanding facts
(b) faith is belief in something in the absence of facts to support the premise
(c) reason is belief via the process of weighed evidence
I RESPECT that people can come to believe something. I just feel it important to describe the process. Faith is a powerful force in our lives. I respect it has guided humans through the ages to posit a whole lot of things. I only think it is important we know the difference and the consequences of one versus the other.
LONG AGO I wrote a post on my first go-around with Substack. I still believe it is worth considering. Besides there is a positively irresistible cute photo of an owl running. What's not to like. In your case Ruth, there is also a mystery photo that you might recognize since you have a familial connection to the Asian isles of Japan. For those of you with the time and inclination please forward to your friends if you are in the considerate mood.
https://markdolan.substack.com/truth
I love the owl and that it's a symbol of truth (and that is a very cute picture!). I do recognize a role for faith; in some way we all depend on it to love, live, give birth and put one foot in front of the other. Blind faith I can't support, nor the absence of reason. I do agree that we must listen to opposing points of view, but it's hard if others absolutely won't listen to you and are opposed to budging on their views--and I would say that about myself as well. It's much better if you can have a friendly or even heated conversation and end up respecting each other. That seems to be becoming more and more impossible. People have become siloed in their views, living in separate communities, demonizing each other. It doesn't bode well for our future. I really enjoy that you are promoting examination of our beliefs, Mark. It could only help the situation.
Eloquent. The owl is so cool. My grandson LOVES the picture. He is currently in a puffin phase. If it were not for faith this beautiful world could have never come to be. We need it in our everyday lives. I don't know if you've ever heard the expression 'the God of the gaps'. It is the realization that we were NEVER INTENDED to know everything with certainty. It is our ESSENTIAL human nature that allows us to navigate in the gaps. This happens to be why Yuval Noah Harari has become one of recent LOVED authors. He is an Israeli Medevialist, Historian and Author. He has fascinating ideas on all sorts of things. Not sure I agree with a lot of it but there are insights into how we navigate the world. Besides I know I've never gotten to know anyone named Yuval before :)
Hi Mark, we just got back from a vacation in Hawaii and it reminded me of how much I have always loved Americans. It is important to keep this in mind during the next four years.
Thanks so much. Hawaii is awfully nice and folks have a very nice resting state of mind. Most challenges in world history have little to do with the common person — it is the leadership that decides to drive us into a ditch.
My hubby has a beard, they're okay. 😎
I have two favorite presidents: Barrack Obama and Jimmy Carter. I'm not a political animal, so my reasoning probably won't be too compelling, but I'll give it a try. I thought that former President Obama brought a much needed dose of dignity, humanity, and a smidgen of humor to his office. I liked him and I trusted him and, given the choice, I'd vote for him again in a heartbeat. Former Presidemt Carter was a real human being, and I loved him. I know he wasn't perfect, but the fact that he spent the rest of his life after his presidency helping people through Habitat for Humamity puts him up on my all time favorites list.
I don't wear that red hat and never have, though I have relatives and friends who do. There's no reasoning with them, which is very sad. This whole "Again" thing is tearing apart families.
I don't think America was ever "great." I'm not sure any country can really claim to be perfect. We've been pretty darn good sometimes and deplorable at others. I think the best we can aim for is to make America a decent place again, because decency does not seem to be a part of the red hat campaign for "greatness."
I just don't know. I'm rambling, so I'm going to stop now before my foot goes down any further...
Thanks for taking the time to check in and share Jeannine. I've always felt progress is a meandering path. I have strong feelings because of the way the 45 Presidency affected my family adversely. I expect the pain to be more broadly felt. Some people express that things might swing back and it will be fine. I fully expect POTUS to fulfill his promise to sell public lands to create a sovereign fund. Whether federal land, national forests or even national monuments and parks, I am quite sure that once we go down this path, we will never come back.
I don't know, but I expect these sovereign funds will somehow end up in Mr. President's pocket when the time comes for him to clear out for #48.
In my history bookclub we have read multiple books about the emergence of such government entities like the national parks service, the department of the interior and the national weather service. I am sure there are inefficiencies within them. The reality, however, is many of them emerged in the Teddy Roosevelt era when the country was close to becoming an oligarchy with characters like Rockefeller, Carnegie, Morgan and many others. We came perilously close to losing public assets forever. Most of the rest of the world has copied our model of universal education, national parks, national forests and generally good stewardship on behalf of the public. History teaches us we are committing to giving these things up forever. Once it happens you cannot unring the bell. I hope we can salvage things at the 11th hour. I am not confident. A national sovereign fund created from public land will destroy a very important part of what makes America special.