Certain About Democracy

“In the final analysis, a democratic government represents the sum total of the courage and the integrity of its individuals. It cannot be better than they are.” – Eleanor Roosevelt 

I love this quote by Eleanor Roosevelt for its wisdom and emphasis that our government, our democracy, is no better and no worse than each of us.

My parents, born during the Depression, taught their daughters that being in a democracy requires us to do our part in exercising the rights of citizens. They were always engaged in voting, reading history and political analysis. Wherever we lived (we moved frequently as a military family), my parents joined a church community, showed up at PTA and school functions, and loved engaging with neighbors. Of course there was a web of relationships because TV was just three major channels, and Americans on the whole shared similar beliefs about democracy no matter their declared political party.

True Story: My great grandfather on my Dad’s side of the family tree was Andrew Jackson Feathers. He was a small farmer in East Tennessee and, according to Dad, a real raconteur of his village (Watauga). My Dad as a young boy accompanied Andy Jackson on his horse drawn wagon filled with fresh produce from his farm. They would stop at small markets in the hollers and hills in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. At each stop, there would be an ongoing discussion among locals about politics, economics and news of the day. Dad was an active listener and adopted the habit of engagement in his time and government.

Gatherings were common in my family. We entertained ourselves with lively discussions.

We need to think clearly about the elements of our current social structure on the family to federal levels. What was working in a time when we shared the basic beliefs about democratic governance sans party considerations?

It’s easy to grow sentimental about the “good old days” which of course were not good for many Americans. But, I think there was something very wholesome about America when we actually all agreed that democracy was a precious thing worthy of protection and the exercise of its basic principles.

National Constitution Center is a great source of civic education!

Abraham Verghese Address to Harvard Graduates

“Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she
With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” – Emma Lazarus, 1883

Abraham Verghese, Physician and world renowned author, gave a brilliant and timely graduation address at Harvard which will long ring with clarity about what the American people and government intended to create and preserve.

Verghese’s 334th Commencement Address at Harvard. Harvard Gazette Article

The gentle quiet voice of truth and wisdom reminds his audience what America is about and how immigrants are central to America’s strength and social compact for the betterment of all who come to these shores to make a life.

The Greatest Steal: American Liberty

“Sell not liberty to purchase power.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Freedom loving Americans feel the crumbling foundation of what generations of Americans strove to create and preserve: a republic founded on principles of freedom and fairness. A governance structure that protects the rights of everyone and works for the betterment of its people and people everywhere.

We are not a naive people yet even the most politically active citizen and public servant is in a state of shock as we watch the brazen violation of our laws to achieve another kind of society with autocratic governance. A nation not conceived in liberty but rather for control of the individual by the powerful.

There are no words to describe how I feel at this moment. It is like watching someone you love being drawn and quartered. Our collective screams and sobs are everywhere now as the full impact of destruction becomes apparent.

To listen to Donald Trump rant and rave, burble and goo, to witness his making a travesty of our seats of government, throw off and denigrate our allies and alliances bought with the blood of Americans, is simply a horror.

Behind him are the men and women doing the hacking and imprisoning: Steven Miller, Kristy Noem, Pam Bondi, and the king of it all, Russell Vought. Like automatons with weapons they bow and scrape in front of the menace while checking off their list of targets. Vought is the man behind the Project 2025, their Playbook of Terribles. Developed with the Heritage Foundation, Project 2025 intends to create what it believes was the true America. But it has been corrupted with Christian Nationalism and white male supremacy and turns its blade to people it perceives as enemies and to the “other”.

There is only this now: rise and go forth and join the growing throngs of Americans willing to lay down their lives and livelihoods for Liberty. Rise and never rest until the whole lot of the MAGAs are removed. Then we must rebuild all that has been destroyed and with greater energy and purpose.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. We know that now.

History and Justice

Settling in for the Long Haul

M. Scott Momaday

I am reposting a tribute I wrote upon the passing of N. Scott Momaday. His writing and wisdom have long inspired me. In his memoir A Man Made of Words, and in the Pulitzer- winning novel, House Made of Dawn, Momaday reflects on how his writing evolved and about living on Earth at this time in history. The post includes videos of Momaday reading his work to students. This time in American history I believe he gives us sound wisdom to follow. Listen in to an iconic American writer and long-seer by clicking on the post above. See if you agree with me that is wisdom is the antidote for an age of destruction.

In America the Law is King

Quote by Thomas Paine in Common Sense

Numerous laws have been broken or called into question by the current people play-acting as administration. It might be comical if not so detrimental to so many Americans and families abroad who were receiving medical and educational assistance from the real government of the U.S.A. Never has there been assembled a less capable cabinet.

But, the main distraction in the Oval Office, pulls attention away from the real danger in our midst: Project 2025, carried out at the direction of Russell Vought and Steven Miller. A third force is the Heritage Foundation which describes the assault on the U.S. government as the “Golden Age” (Kevin Roberts, President of said foundation, on Meet the Press last week.)

Project 2025 is the Trojan Horse for ideological imposition on the citizens of this country. That ideology is Christian Nationalism. I cannot describe how much of America’s lifeblood is pouring into this battle in thousands of communities across our nation where citizens are fighting back.

Through Executive Orders and in the One Big Beautiful Bill moving now through the House of Representatives, our democracy is being replaced with an autocratic regime which seeks to impose its values and prejudices on all the rest of us. White male dominance is at its core.

Cuts to Medicaid, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, loss of funding to farmers, veterans, disabled individuals, and heinous deportations of lawful immigrants are just part of the sludge choking the veins of America.

I recommend reading The Project by David Graham to understand the blueprint of the MAGA Republican plan.

Pronouncements are not laws. Still …

Trump’s gusher of executive decrees cannot conceal that he has been spectacularly inept in effectuating many of his objectives, nor can they mask Congress’s fecklessness. It has passed only 5 bills this year, several of which merely express disapproval of regulations.

We have a do-nothing Congress, a president claiming bizarre, unlimited powers to pursue revenge, but—thank goodness—judges across the country who appear determined to protect our constitutional system from Trump’s predations. If it rediscovers its constitutional responsibilities, Congress might tip the balance in favor of the rule of law. ~ The Contrarian, May 5, 2025

At the same time, this fact should not relieve us of the citizen imperative that is before everyone of us. In my own city and region, DEI policies in public schools are on the block with many school boards already voting to end this policy; citizens are losing jobs and food security is rising as USDA and USAID have weakened food programs such as SNAP and farmers’ markets that they depend on to stay in business. Veterans have lost jobs and services; healthcare is being withdrawn or removed altogether.

Disinformation abounds. Public education and higher education are threatened with loss of funding if they do not comply with executive orders coming down in a steady stream, day to day. A chill has fallen over press staffs in our local media for fear of retribution or loss of income. It is all illegal yet, overwhelmed and generally underfunded even in a democratic space, these key institution for a strong democracy are failing. Some are forming alliances to resist the threats from a rogue leader and administration, but we need more and better coordinated mass action.

The Weekend Show: Project 2025 Discussed with David Graham, Author of The Project.

Americans Show Up

The country is awakening as they understand the impact of MAGA movement Republicans in Congress on Americans. Live on YouTube today is a gathering of people on the Capitol steps to educate and advocate for the American citizens and democracy.

Go to FRAC.org to take action on food policies that will affect millions of American families and the farmers and food producers who support them.

The history of how America has come to authoritarianism …

History does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid.” —Dwight D. Eisenhower

This is one of the clearest explanations of how America has come to this constitutional crisis as understood in our history. The discussion afterward is rich for understanding current forces at work such as virtual politics (fake stories).

How Saturday night dealt with disinformation!