So wonderfully beautifully written. Thank you for this inspirational call to action and to be fully and authentically the amazing human beings that we were created to be. This is real community. Thank you.
Thank you John! Your words continue to cut to the core and clearly define where we are as a nation, a community, but most important, as a person. For those of us who have chosen our hill, it's comforting to know, we're not alone.
For the others, in the words of John Lewis, "How will you answer when your turn comes and are asked, what did you do?"
I’m nearing transition to “the life of the world to come” and my children do not have children.
I’m invested as a citizen for the futures of the the lovely and vulnerable immigrant children who fill our playgrounds and schools and public spaces here in Tucson, on the border.
With me are Zaid,2, and Daniel, 7, and Khadicha, 19, who are awaiting (with their parents) their asylum hearing (been 5 years now)
I’d die for their safety.
I say their names before God and beg for mercy. I pray for the children you’d die for. You pray for mine, please
I called my Senators, Congressman whether they are in my state or not and will continue to be a reminder to them that they need to keep up pressure. I flat out stated that Trump has no governance over Federal Agencies, that Musk is a minion of Trump and is acting without portfolio and it must stop. Agencies are run by the US Constitution and any changes have to come via that route. It's called Separation of Powers. Well it would be like the House/Senate to just take a vote, march on the White House and kick Trump to the curb. There is a process that must be followed which is written in our Constitution and that is the law.
I wept. Wept, because your clear-eyed, morally elevated writing is like nectar for our souls; wept because, although these are trying times, you've given voice to our highest yearnings (which so few seem able to do); wept at the recognition of all the truth in what you're saying, including the truth that, right now, in this very moment, we each need to do everything we can to stop the destruction of our country and ourselves. Which points to sacrifice in support of the truth, the urgency of the truth, and our inherent debt to it, no matter what comes. Your voice is a gift, and I thank you.
Wow, thank you for articulating so well what I feel. I have tried to do that, albeit quite unsuccessfully, bc the madness is coming at us so fast and furiously that it feels like a washing machine on spin cycle in my brain and, worse, in my heart. Until this election I have never been an activist of any sort, but the fear of what might happen (DJT getting elected) and now what has happened (my worst nightmare) kicked my butt into gear and I knocked doors in PA, I phonebanked, I joined an Indivisible group in Northern Westchester, and today
I am going to Peekskill NY today to Chuck Schumer's office to support his NO vote on Russ Vought. I will write letters and make calls to our representatives, I will do whatever it takes. Instead of sitting on my hands, I will gladly offer them up risking being taken off in handcuffs. This is not a far-fetched possibility since our rights of free speech and peaceful protest may soon be "EO'd" away. I hope my action will spur others who were like my "old self" to do the same. Many of my friends and family don't recognize this version of me, but they had better get used to it bc it's here to stay until we save our country and pull my children's and grandchildren's futures from the grips of truly evil forces. I'm doing this for them.
I called my reps, too, which makes four times now. And I intent to call them again and have made a list of what's up and what's coming to comment about. And I tell them I have never failed to vote in a single election since I came of age. And I have friends, family, church and community who I discuss these things with, too. Many small stones lay at the foundation of dams across rivers. Some might wash away, but in the end, the foundation holds.
I think I can occasionally slip into the despair, but I always want to be able to walk out and go out there in the world and do something. It doesn’t have to be one or the other in fact in order to do one I have to feel the other.
I understand that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has halted much of its work to investigate and penalize corporate wrongdoing. Wasn’t the CFPB authorized and funded by Congress? If so, does President Trump have the authority to halt much of its work and effectively disband it? Is a group of lawyers (e.g., the ACLU or the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) planning to file a lawsuit? If they are requesting contributions, can you provide to all your readers the name of the group and the address to which donations can be mailed?
The short answer to your question is Hell No. Most if not all of Trump's executive orders are illegal and are being challenged in Court. However much of the damage cannot be undone such as career civil servants being fired or retiring. Democrats in Congress and the Senate need to step up now beyond writing letters of concern. Part of the Problem is that Congress does not really have a police force they rely on the executive branch to execute and enforce their laws. I contribute to the ACLU as they stand up for the rights of ALL Americans
Marc Elias and his team at www.democracydocket.com have filed a least 5 lawsuits against the administration’s illegal take over of our government. (He and his team are the ones who took the MAGAs to court after the 2020 election-and won. And they are the ones who file many voting rights lawsuits-and win the vast majority of the time.) They need donations.
I will be supporting this cause and a few charities that directly help the under served-they will probably lose their funding. One is called The Giving Grove. They help urban communities plant/maintain fruit and nut orchards. It’s headquartered in KC but has “branches” in many cities around the country.
I’m so grateful for what you do, John, this message is so very important. We all have to resist the fear of being judged and go for it, because this is so serious we must. I have worried about my posting on my FB page that I’m alienating people, but it is resonating with so many, and I’m finding people stepping up and activating here after some of my posts. If I get only one person moving, I have succeeded. I can’t worry I’m shouting into the Grand Canyon, because we never know what seed we planted in others, or when it might grow. But it is definitely planted, whether they like it or not. So I will continue sowing them and nurturing them. May God Bless You and may God help us save our country and the globe.
"Shouting into the Grand Canyon" I like that except it implies that we are a small minority where the reality is that we are a large majority being overwhelmed by a loud minority with immense wealth and structural advantages such as the Electoral College, and the structure of the Senate. One recent example of the best of America- After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina neighbors immediately stepped up to help neighbors, strangers stepped up to help strangers. Help poured in from all over the area including skilled Tree workers from Guatemala and FEMA was there immediately This is the heart of Trump Country but no one asked or cared about people in needs politics, skin color, etc. Same with the recent tragic fires in California. The response from Trump and MAGA was to lie and spread these lies on Social Media showing that they represent the worst of America.
Yes, true, and I am one of the people in the zone near the fires in Los Angeles. My statement about “shouting into the Grand Canyon” relates to how we feel when as an individual we are speaking out, that we aren’t heard. So, frequently that makes us feel like we are wasting our breath. In fact, as I mentioned, we wind up planting seeds in others if we do broadcast our feelings and thoughts on social media, or even to one person. That seed may take root, and things can grow from it - both good or bad. So if we don’t use our individual voice, the seed never gets sowed. Therefore, we MUST speak up, without fear or concern it may not be heard and just blow by in the wind. It doesn’t always get ignored.
Again, thank you for these words. As an author, writing is a natural release for me, so that's what I'm doing to stay sane. I'm building a Substack page right now. Thanks for inspiring us to find our hills.
Amen! I have a list each day. Just wrote an oped on the fuel that drives Trump's decrees and will make calls to my congressman and Senators. I plan to write the White House next. Here's what I intend to say:
Scaring our immigrant neighbors, keeping their families from joining them. Shame on You! Cutting off health and food aid by shutting down USAID. Shame on You! Allowing Elon Musk to access confidential treasury information. Shame on You! etc.
Power to the People. John, did you write a long article some years ago about a hill worth dying on? I remember your name attached to that singular essay back when.
So wonderfully beautifully written. Thank you for this inspirational call to action and to be fully and authentically the amazing human beings that we were created to be. This is real community. Thank you.
Thank you John! Your words continue to cut to the core and clearly define where we are as a nation, a community, but most important, as a person. For those of us who have chosen our hill, it's comforting to know, we're not alone.
For the others, in the words of John Lewis, "How will you answer when your turn comes and are asked, what did you do?"
I'm happy to report, my hill is getting crowded!
🦋🌹💙
I’m nearing transition to “the life of the world to come” and my children do not have children.
I’m invested as a citizen for the futures of the the lovely and vulnerable immigrant children who fill our playgrounds and schools and public spaces here in Tucson, on the border.
With me are Zaid,2, and Daniel, 7, and Khadicha, 19, who are awaiting (with their parents) their asylum hearing (been 5 years now)
I’d die for their safety.
I say their names before God and beg for mercy. I pray for the children you’d die for. You pray for mine, please
You are doing something so very wonderful! Thank you!
I called my Senators, Congressman whether they are in my state or not and will continue to be a reminder to them that they need to keep up pressure. I flat out stated that Trump has no governance over Federal Agencies, that Musk is a minion of Trump and is acting without portfolio and it must stop. Agencies are run by the US Constitution and any changes have to come via that route. It's called Separation of Powers. Well it would be like the House/Senate to just take a vote, march on the White House and kick Trump to the curb. There is a process that must be followed which is written in our Constitution and that is the law.
I did too. We have to stand up, however we do it. I like the specificity of your concerns. Bravo.
Thanks!
Well said!
Yea!!!!! Thank you Barbara! Thank you all who get going out of pure joy in saying “ no thanks” to drump and his puppet friends.
I wept. Wept, because your clear-eyed, morally elevated writing is like nectar for our souls; wept because, although these are trying times, you've given voice to our highest yearnings (which so few seem able to do); wept at the recognition of all the truth in what you're saying, including the truth that, right now, in this very moment, we each need to do everything we can to stop the destruction of our country and ourselves. Which points to sacrifice in support of the truth, the urgency of the truth, and our inherent debt to it, no matter what comes. Your voice is a gift, and I thank you.
Wow, thank you for articulating so well what I feel. I have tried to do that, albeit quite unsuccessfully, bc the madness is coming at us so fast and furiously that it feels like a washing machine on spin cycle in my brain and, worse, in my heart. Until this election I have never been an activist of any sort, but the fear of what might happen (DJT getting elected) and now what has happened (my worst nightmare) kicked my butt into gear and I knocked doors in PA, I phonebanked, I joined an Indivisible group in Northern Westchester, and today
I am going to Peekskill NY today to Chuck Schumer's office to support his NO vote on Russ Vought. I will write letters and make calls to our representatives, I will do whatever it takes. Instead of sitting on my hands, I will gladly offer them up risking being taken off in handcuffs. This is not a far-fetched possibility since our rights of free speech and peaceful protest may soon be "EO'd" away. I hope my action will spur others who were like my "old self" to do the same. Many of my friends and family don't recognize this version of me, but they had better get used to it bc it's here to stay until we save our country and pull my children's and grandchildren's futures from the grips of truly evil forces. I'm doing this for them.
Completely agree. And thank you!!! Yesterday I called my reps! Will do it again today! I am prepared to march…give money!!! Whatever!!!
I called my reps, too, which makes four times now. And I intent to call them again and have made a list of what's up and what's coming to comment about. And I tell them I have never failed to vote in a single election since I came of age. And I have friends, family, church and community who I discuss these things with, too. Many small stones lay at the foundation of dams across rivers. Some might wash away, but in the end, the foundation holds.
I think I can occasionally slip into the despair, but I always want to be able to walk out and go out there in the world and do something. It doesn’t have to be one or the other in fact in order to do one I have to feel the other.
Ascend your hill friends. Love like we are going to lose all our right,dignity and freedom most of all. I have faith we will make the right decision.
I have some questions.
I understand that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) has halted much of its work to investigate and penalize corporate wrongdoing. Wasn’t the CFPB authorized and funded by Congress? If so, does President Trump have the authority to halt much of its work and effectively disband it? Is a group of lawyers (e.g., the ACLU or the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law) planning to file a lawsuit? If they are requesting contributions, can you provide to all your readers the name of the group and the address to which donations can be mailed?
The short answer to your question is Hell No. Most if not all of Trump's executive orders are illegal and are being challenged in Court. However much of the damage cannot be undone such as career civil servants being fired or retiring. Democrats in Congress and the Senate need to step up now beyond writing letters of concern. Part of the Problem is that Congress does not really have a police force they rely on the executive branch to execute and enforce their laws. I contribute to the ACLU as they stand up for the rights of ALL Americans
Marc Elias and his team at www.democracydocket.com have filed a least 5 lawsuits against the administration’s illegal take over of our government. (He and his team are the ones who took the MAGAs to court after the 2020 election-and won. And they are the ones who file many voting rights lawsuits-and win the vast majority of the time.) They need donations.
I will be supporting this cause and a few charities that directly help the under served-they will probably lose their funding. One is called The Giving Grove. They help urban communities plant/maintain fruit and nut orchards. It’s headquartered in KC but has “branches” in many cities around the country.
I’m so grateful for what you do, John, this message is so very important. We all have to resist the fear of being judged and go for it, because this is so serious we must. I have worried about my posting on my FB page that I’m alienating people, but it is resonating with so many, and I’m finding people stepping up and activating here after some of my posts. If I get only one person moving, I have succeeded. I can’t worry I’m shouting into the Grand Canyon, because we never know what seed we planted in others, or when it might grow. But it is definitely planted, whether they like it or not. So I will continue sowing them and nurturing them. May God Bless You and may God help us save our country and the globe.
"Shouting into the Grand Canyon" I like that except it implies that we are a small minority where the reality is that we are a large majority being overwhelmed by a loud minority with immense wealth and structural advantages such as the Electoral College, and the structure of the Senate. One recent example of the best of America- After Hurricane Helene devastated western North Carolina neighbors immediately stepped up to help neighbors, strangers stepped up to help strangers. Help poured in from all over the area including skilled Tree workers from Guatemala and FEMA was there immediately This is the heart of Trump Country but no one asked or cared about people in needs politics, skin color, etc. Same with the recent tragic fires in California. The response from Trump and MAGA was to lie and spread these lies on Social Media showing that they represent the worst of America.
Yes, true, and I am one of the people in the zone near the fires in Los Angeles. My statement about “shouting into the Grand Canyon” relates to how we feel when as an individual we are speaking out, that we aren’t heard. So, frequently that makes us feel like we are wasting our breath. In fact, as I mentioned, we wind up planting seeds in others if we do broadcast our feelings and thoughts on social media, or even to one person. That seed may take root, and things can grow from it - both good or bad. So if we don’t use our individual voice, the seed never gets sowed. Therefore, we MUST speak up, without fear or concern it may not be heard and just blow by in the wind. It doesn’t always get ignored.
John, thank you for building motivation and momentum in this community.
Thank you for lifting our spirits up and shaking us out of the funk we all feel.
Again, thank you for these words. As an author, writing is a natural release for me, so that's what I'm doing to stay sane. I'm building a Substack page right now. Thanks for inspiring us to find our hills.
Amen! I have a list each day. Just wrote an oped on the fuel that drives Trump's decrees and will make calls to my congressman and Senators. I plan to write the White House next. Here's what I intend to say:
Scaring our immigrant neighbors, keeping their families from joining them. Shame on You! Cutting off health and food aid by shutting down USAID. Shame on You! Allowing Elon Musk to access confidential treasury information. Shame on You! etc.
.
Power to the People. John, did you write a long article some years ago about a hill worth dying on? I remember your name attached to that singular essay back when.