I no longer consider any one who supports him “good”. They have had plenty of time to see truth. They see what is happening now at his direction. I have family that are still all in. They know what they are doing. I’m done with them and will be long after trump is gone.
My story the same.. 😞 and his shittiness and cruel behavior has rubbed off in common places in society... I feel a cloud of greed and hate, and selfishness and cruelty as I go through my daily life.... It's a mental and even physical anguish at times.
Peggy--I agree with you about the cloud. It is mentally & physically exhausting almost all the time. I have had to make a real effort to disconnect on a regular basis for my well being.
When they moved Maxwell this week out of her prison and to a fluff camp it was the end for me. They plan to get her to testify to congress about how the president was not involved and in exchange she will be slowly let go. I’m done when the Pedo’s win. I’ve had enough of this.
I watched Kamala on Colbert and wept for how differently ALL of our lives would've been had the voting been tallied correctly. Such a heaviness in my heart.
MAGA isn't going to be fooled. They'll most likely go ballistic. Same if he turns Maxwell loose. She'd better be in the Witness Protection Program if she is released. There's a lot of very angry people out there who will be looking for her.
why did it talk this situation to convince you that his not a good person? how about his administration actually arresting people without warrants and no due processing? deporting Amercian citizens? lying about gas prices and groceries going down? going to decrease prescription drugs down 1500%? Increasing costs for Americans by his tariffs? his administration saying there's no Epstein list? Pardoning violent criminals that insurrected on January 6th and attacked officers violently? Pardoning other criminals? Making 60% of his worth in the first 6 months in office? going after people he doesn't like? Getting funds from people then pardoning her son and others several weeks later? says he hates Democrats which is estimated to be at least half of the country whe a president is to represent us all? insulting world leaders and alienating us from allies and aligning himself with Russia? Becoming irrelevant in the world? gutting programs that go after human/sex trafficking actually 96 programs? and etc, etc, etc. And violating the constitution and not following court rulings? are we not a country of law and order? why did this one event change your mind?
I think you misunderstood what I wrote. I have never supported or voted for Trump but I have given people the benefit of the doubt that did to come to terms with their mistake until now.
Not because I doubt John’s truth. No, he’s not exaggerating, and he’s not indulging in hyperbole. He’s doing something far more uncomfortable: he’s drawing a line. And not just any line.
It’s the kind of line that cuts.
A line that divides what is human from what is… something else.
And the clarity of it—that’s what unsettles me.
Because this isn’t a rhetorical or strategic distinction. It’s not a partisan flourish or a debate trick. This is an ontological claim, and it’s, tragically, accurate. John’s sketched the boundary between compassion and cruelty, between decency and desecration, and between those who still bleed when the world suffers and those who cheer when it does.
He’s placed that boundary plainly where it now lives: in the space between those who support Trump, and those who don’t.
That’s not a scalable position. It can’t be massaged or made moderate. It’s not the sort of boundary that gets healed in the aftermath of elections. It doesn’t lend itself to bipartisan language or careful fence-sitting.
It’s an uncrossable line. This far, no further.
And that terrifies me.
Because in John’s impassioned clarity, I hear something ancient and immutable—a reckoning that’s come due. And as every moral philosopher worth reading has warned, the moment you name evil truthfully, you’re no longer afforded the luxury of neutrality. Silence becomes complicity. Civility becomes surrender. Hope becomes a hostage.
There’s no path back to the polite delusion that we’re all just Americans with different opinions. That myth died screaming years ago. What remains are two incompatible moral frameworks: one animated by power, cruelty, and fear; the other by the stubborn belief that love and justice still matter in a world hell-bent on grinding them into myth.
And so we find ourselves where no diplomat wishes to be: at the gates of a binary choice. Not because we’re binary thinkers, but because the choices have been made binary by those who bulldozed the middle ground and salted the earth.
What John’s done—what we must all now reckon with—is to name this moment for what it is.
Not a difference in values.
Not a disagreement over policy.
Not a clash of culture or region or generation.
But a collapse in shared humanity.
And we can’t negotiate with collapse.
We can’t reason with those who’ve forsaken reason and discarded the moral imagination that binds one soul to another. As Arendt warned, when the public loses the capacity for moral judgment, politics becomes theater and cruelty becomes currency.
And here we are.
A man who cages children, mocks the dying, sanctifies bigotry, and metastasizes division isn’t merely “flawed.” He’s, as Baldwin once said of white supremacy itself, a moral obscenity. But more obscene still is the number of “good people” who bless him with their vote, their silence, or their rationalizations.
We’re not having a policy debate anymore. We’re watching a slow-motion collapse of the ethical framework that once gave this nation a fighting chance. We’re being asked, in real time, what we’ll stand for when everything’s at stake.
And make no mistake—everything’s at stake.
Goodness is no longer theoretical. It’s no longer private. It’s no longer safe. It must take sides. And if that sounds extreme, ask yourself why cruelty no longer does.
I’m not eager for this conclusion. I don’t rejoice in the drawing of lines. But I know what happens when we delay them too long. When good people wring their hands while bad people seize the machinery of law and memory and myth.
John’s named the moment. And as much as I wish he were wrong, I believe he’s precisely, frighteningly right.
There’s no middle here.
There’s no later.
There’s only what you choose to align yourself with.
And that choice, I fear, will follow us far longer than this presidency ever will.
So yes—this is the line.
And now we find out who dares to stand on the right side of it, not just in voice, but in act, in sacrifice, and in unflinching moral clarity.
Because neutrality, at this stage, is a luxury only cruelty can afford.
Beautifully stated. This is a moral choice, not a political one. To ignore or avoid that bright line is to deny our humanity. During WWII, the German theologian, Detreich Bonhoffer offered the same argument in his book, "The Cost of Discipleship". It ultimately cost him his life at the hands of the Nazis.
I intend to stand on “the right side of the line,” right next to you and John. The side where love, understanding, respect and kindness always lead the way.
Thank you for this. I’ve been thinking about which of your articles I would send to my sister and her family, devout evangelicals I severed ties with the day after the election. I never explained why - they know full well - but this cuts straight to the heart of why I did it.
Agree… I cut ties w my father’s extended family after the election, as well as one of my half brothers and his wife. I just don’t have room in my life and my heart for anyone who’s ok w what’s happening. Life is too short and precious and my time and concern are limited.
So true. When he was elected in 2016, we could at least count on Congress to push back. But now, we can’t even rely on our elected officials to have our backs. The capitulation is unprecedented and so disheartening. Between the Supreme Court right-wing faction and the GOP, the American people have no one to depend on. If anything, F-47 is setting up this country to be attacked because they are seeing how weak we have become.
I know some people who do still support him. I consider them "good" people, but that's hard to define these days, isn't it. It continues to boggle my mind when I am out protesting, and people give us the finger. That tells me there are still too many who support this regime. I smile and wave regardless because I’m not going to stoop to their misguided level. I’m going to continue to stand in the gap and get my strength from the many more who honk and wave in support. That’s what keeps me going.
Self-reflection should include the ability to handle criticism. Acknowledging even the worst parts of yourself and initiate change is a sign of maturity and willingness to accept growth. It includes being able to say you are/were wrong. I have family who support the monster(s) at the top of our government for their own personal ideology. Whether they still do today I can't say because I have not spoken to them since 2018.
Those I know in our community who did support him are scrambling to distance themselves. One just said the other day our whole system is broken. I happen to agree with that but instead of being willing to fight back, they are just throwing up their hands, blaming both sides instead of admitting they are a big part of the problem. They voted for a specific reason without looking at evidence and now can't admit they were wrong. They want someone else to fix it.
I believe that if you were able to engage those people you describe in meaningful introspection and honest expression of what they believe, you would find that at their core they are racist bigots. I firmly believe that it is that evil that is at the core of all of this. Full stop.
So many times I've ran up against this in my lifetime where I say just admit it and go on you know if we could just admit our faults then we could just move forward right instead of being stuck in this psycho soap opera of cover-ups and lives it's the same as living let live admit your wrongs and move on my mother always wanted me to move on move on move on nobody ever admitted the wrongs oh well
I’m in total agreement. I also wonder how we account for the people who exist in information “deserts”. We know that a person who watches only FOX or Newsmax, or who only listens to any of the (literally) hundreds of MAGA-adjacent podcasts, and who sees only the algorithm-provided articles, may actually not be aware of trump’s hideous cruelties.
I say this not to excuse people like this, but to raise again the question: how do we combat this? We have to deal with it; there are millions of them.
Excellent question. The news they are getting is usually the total opposite of the truth. Yet they think we are the ones believing lies and propaganda. How can we change that?
It's absolutely maddening I wonder if my family my entire family I'm all by myself over here in truthland will ever know exactly what I know and what's going on the reality and the totality and the cruelty and the absurdness that you and I experience.
Each time I hear something major you know I think okay this is going to break through now it's the Epstein files I think this will break through and maybe they'll see but you know they're covering it up as best they can and we we have to live day by day with new shit everyday I don't know it's exhausting but I understand you
Many people who support Trump will gather in church on Sunday, believing he has been chosen by God for a special purpose. However, his actions contradict the core teachings of Jesus, who emphasized love, compassion, and humility. This disconnection raises questions about the beliefs and values, making it difficult to understand how they can reconcile their faith with support for someone who acts so differently from what Jesus preached. The frustration with this contradiction can lead people to feel a sense of disillusionment and disappointment. As for me, I'm done.
This is the column that may give me the courage to finally say goodbye to my Trump supporting friends. Why is it so hard to confront them with this truth? They should be the ones who are embarassed, not me.
It's a matter of going no contact with the kool-aid drinkers. Friends or family, it's self-preservation of the most urgent kind.
My sister is one of 3 other living relatives I have. She married a Faux Noise junkie who she has since divorced, but she still sings his praises all while expressing outrage over 47.
I tried to rekindle a relationship with her after finding out she was divorced, but he self- choice to still only see her ex as a "good" person despite his misogynistic adoration for these fascist Russian assets posing as good US citizens, it's making me feel like going back to no contact is the best choice for my mental well being. #staystrong
Absolutely. No contact is truly self-preservation especially since there are zero checks in place this time with 47. They are plundering the wealth at the cost of those least fortunate. His health has caught up- the heart failure dx will come out, and, as horrible as it sounds, leaving office loudly in his sleep will be a welcomed change, even if it means JD Vance in the Oval.
Hopefully, by then the House will be Dems, and not DNC Dems, because they truly, finally llost their way back when they overrode Bernie's success and common sense, to hand our support to the highest bidders.
Cut ties is what I did with everyone... I tried and tried till I was blue in the face to get my family to acknowledge the truth .. let alone me ..
To no avail.. in the beginning I prayed for God to forgive them for they know not what they do... I blasted then with info and media news clips... NOTHING
I warned my mother a DEVOUT 97 year old mother about not being recognized on that final day..
So it was after I realized that they DID KNOW WHAT THEY DO.... that I really had to let go
"But I didn't know he did all that stuff!" and "The media exaggerates everything so I didn't know what to believe!" are becoming an increasingly shrill cries from people who are genuinely rotten at their core. Didn't work for the Germans outside the camps. I hope it doesn't know.
"The Ugly American" doesn't mean what most people think it does. Here's a summary from Copilot:
Summary of The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick
The Ugly American (1958) is a politically charged novel that critiques the failures of U.S. diplomacy in Southeast Asia during the Cold War. Set in the fictional country of Sarkhan, the book uses a series of interconnected stories to expose how American arrogance, cultural ignorance, and bureaucratic incompetence undermine efforts to counter Communism.
🧭 Key Themes
Cultural Insensitivity: American diplomats often refuse to learn local languages or customs, alienating the very people they aim to help.
Effective vs. Ineffective Diplomacy: Characters like Ambassador Louis Sears embody failure, while Gilbert MacWhite and the titular “Ugly American,” Homer Atkins, succeed by engaging respectfully and practically with locals.
Cold War Tensions: The novel highlights how Soviet agents gain influence by understanding and integrating with local populations, while Americans rely on flashy but shallow gestures.
Grassroots Change: The book champions small-scale, locally informed efforts—like Father Finian’s anti-Communist campaign in Burma—as more impactful than top-down policies.
🧑🤝🧑 Notable Characters
Louis Sears: A clueless American ambassador whose incompetence benefits Soviet interests.
Gilbert MacWhite: His successor, who learns the local language and culture, striving to reverse American failures.
Homer Atkins: The “Ugly American,” an engineer whose practical aid and humility earn deep respect from locals.
BTW, the novel inspired JFK to establish the Peace Corps.
Disclosure: Eugene Burdick taught political science at Cal when I was an undergraduate.
Sue, to you. If I ever chose to attend church again, it would be the one led by John. I found him, follow him, and check in every morning for my Sermon on the Mount. I normally don’t have much to say, but must share a personal story about the “clueless ambassadors” comment. I will force myself to tell the short version of the long version your teacher told.
My husband, now hopefully with the god he believed in, was an Army Ranger, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam. A [2nd?] lieutenant on arrival there, a captain at the end of his service. He led a LRRP team (long-range reconnaissance patrol), home base Phu Bai, near the DMZ. After he was injured on patrol by a booby trap in a tree, tripped by a new member of his team (hereth begins the very short story) who he never blamed by the way, and a cast from hip to ankle that did not meet the definition of “million dollar wound,” he was reassigned as, if memory serves, the assistant brigade intelligence officer on the base (he had a degree in International Relations from G.W. [George Washington U]). His C.O. (commanding officer) said he would introduce him to the chief of the local Montagnard village (they were on our side). Steve was led to the head of a table set for dining, and the chief’s young daughters were the servers. One arrived by his side holding out a bowl of what Steve described as large, glossy marbles. His C.O., sitting next to him, leaned over and whispered in his ear…”Lieutenant Parry, don’t even THINK about saying no.” They were raw cow eyes. My husband ate one and then accepted asked for a second. I asked him how he could possibly have done that. He said they were like “big grapes; I mostly just swallowed them whole.”
P.S. My husband (and perhaps his C.O.) was not an Ugly American. He was an active member of Veterans for Peace.
I no longer consider any one who supports him “good”. They have had plenty of time to see truth. They see what is happening now at his direction. I have family that are still all in. They know what they are doing. I’m done with them and will be long after trump is gone.
My story the same.. 😞 and his shittiness and cruel behavior has rubbed off in common places in society... I feel a cloud of greed and hate, and selfishness and cruelty as I go through my daily life.... It's a mental and even physical anguish at times.
Peggy--I agree with you about the cloud. It is mentally & physically exhausting almost all the time. I have had to make a real effort to disconnect on a regular basis for my well being.
I'm having to quite a bit too lately I noticed just shut it all down
When they moved Maxwell this week out of her prison and to a fluff camp it was the end for me. They plan to get her to testify to congress about how the president was not involved and in exchange she will be slowly let go. I’m done when the Pedo’s win. I’ve had enough of this.
I watched Kamala on Colbert and wept for how differently ALL of our lives would've been had the voting been tallied correctly. Such a heaviness in my heart.
Same.
Me too 😢
Add me to this list.
MAGA isn't going to be fooled. They'll most likely go ballistic. Same if he turns Maxwell loose. She'd better be in the Witness Protection Program if she is released. There's a lot of very angry people out there who will be looking for her.
Likewise
dt's trying to wait it out like he does has and will continue to do
why did it talk this situation to convince you that his not a good person? how about his administration actually arresting people without warrants and no due processing? deporting Amercian citizens? lying about gas prices and groceries going down? going to decrease prescription drugs down 1500%? Increasing costs for Americans by his tariffs? his administration saying there's no Epstein list? Pardoning violent criminals that insurrected on January 6th and attacked officers violently? Pardoning other criminals? Making 60% of his worth in the first 6 months in office? going after people he doesn't like? Getting funds from people then pardoning her son and others several weeks later? says he hates Democrats which is estimated to be at least half of the country whe a president is to represent us all? insulting world leaders and alienating us from allies and aligning himself with Russia? Becoming irrelevant in the world? gutting programs that go after human/sex trafficking actually 96 programs? and etc, etc, etc. And violating the constitution and not following court rulings? are we not a country of law and order? why did this one event change your mind?
I think you misunderstood what I wrote. I have never supported or voted for Trump but I have given people the benefit of the doubt that did to come to terms with their mistake until now.
I’ve sat with this a long while.
Not because I doubt John’s truth. No, he’s not exaggerating, and he’s not indulging in hyperbole. He’s doing something far more uncomfortable: he’s drawing a line. And not just any line.
It’s the kind of line that cuts.
A line that divides what is human from what is… something else.
And the clarity of it—that’s what unsettles me.
Because this isn’t a rhetorical or strategic distinction. It’s not a partisan flourish or a debate trick. This is an ontological claim, and it’s, tragically, accurate. John’s sketched the boundary between compassion and cruelty, between decency and desecration, and between those who still bleed when the world suffers and those who cheer when it does.
He’s placed that boundary plainly where it now lives: in the space between those who support Trump, and those who don’t.
That’s not a scalable position. It can’t be massaged or made moderate. It’s not the sort of boundary that gets healed in the aftermath of elections. It doesn’t lend itself to bipartisan language or careful fence-sitting.
It’s an uncrossable line. This far, no further.
And that terrifies me.
Because in John’s impassioned clarity, I hear something ancient and immutable—a reckoning that’s come due. And as every moral philosopher worth reading has warned, the moment you name evil truthfully, you’re no longer afforded the luxury of neutrality. Silence becomes complicity. Civility becomes surrender. Hope becomes a hostage.
There’s no path back to the polite delusion that we’re all just Americans with different opinions. That myth died screaming years ago. What remains are two incompatible moral frameworks: one animated by power, cruelty, and fear; the other by the stubborn belief that love and justice still matter in a world hell-bent on grinding them into myth.
And so we find ourselves where no diplomat wishes to be: at the gates of a binary choice. Not because we’re binary thinkers, but because the choices have been made binary by those who bulldozed the middle ground and salted the earth.
What John’s done—what we must all now reckon with—is to name this moment for what it is.
Not a difference in values.
Not a disagreement over policy.
Not a clash of culture or region or generation.
But a collapse in shared humanity.
And we can’t negotiate with collapse.
We can’t reason with those who’ve forsaken reason and discarded the moral imagination that binds one soul to another. As Arendt warned, when the public loses the capacity for moral judgment, politics becomes theater and cruelty becomes currency.
And here we are.
A man who cages children, mocks the dying, sanctifies bigotry, and metastasizes division isn’t merely “flawed.” He’s, as Baldwin once said of white supremacy itself, a moral obscenity. But more obscene still is the number of “good people” who bless him with their vote, their silence, or their rationalizations.
We’re not having a policy debate anymore. We’re watching a slow-motion collapse of the ethical framework that once gave this nation a fighting chance. We’re being asked, in real time, what we’ll stand for when everything’s at stake.
And make no mistake—everything’s at stake.
Goodness is no longer theoretical. It’s no longer private. It’s no longer safe. It must take sides. And if that sounds extreme, ask yourself why cruelty no longer does.
I’m not eager for this conclusion. I don’t rejoice in the drawing of lines. But I know what happens when we delay them too long. When good people wring their hands while bad people seize the machinery of law and memory and myth.
John’s named the moment. And as much as I wish he were wrong, I believe he’s precisely, frighteningly right.
There’s no middle here.
There’s no later.
There’s only what you choose to align yourself with.
And that choice, I fear, will follow us far longer than this presidency ever will.
So yes—this is the line.
And now we find out who dares to stand on the right side of it, not just in voice, but in act, in sacrifice, and in unflinching moral clarity.
Because neutrality, at this stage, is a luxury only cruelty can afford.
Beautifully stated. This is a moral choice, not a political one. To ignore or avoid that bright line is to deny our humanity. During WWII, the German theologian, Detreich Bonhoffer offered the same argument in his book, "The Cost of Discipleship". It ultimately cost him his life at the hands of the Nazis.
Ft
I intend to stand on “the right side of the line,” right next to you and John. The side where love, understanding, respect and kindness always lead the way.
Thank you for this. I’ve been thinking about which of your articles I would send to my sister and her family, devout evangelicals I severed ties with the day after the election. I never explained why - they know full well - but this cuts straight to the heart of why I did it.
Agree Helene. I cut off my best friend after thinking for the last 35 years that she was a "good person". It stinks.
Agree… I cut ties w my father’s extended family after the election, as well as one of my half brothers and his wife. I just don’t have room in my life and my heart for anyone who’s ok w what’s happening. Life is too short and precious and my time and concern are limited.
It’s so hard. I know I’m not at all alone in this sad place.
So true. When he was elected in 2016, we could at least count on Congress to push back. But now, we can’t even rely on our elected officials to have our backs. The capitulation is unprecedented and so disheartening. Between the Supreme Court right-wing faction and the GOP, the American people have no one to depend on. If anything, F-47 is setting up this country to be attacked because they are seeing how weak we have become.
I know some people who do still support him. I consider them "good" people, but that's hard to define these days, isn't it. It continues to boggle my mind when I am out protesting, and people give us the finger. That tells me there are still too many who support this regime. I smile and wave regardless because I’m not going to stoop to their misguided level. I’m going to continue to stand in the gap and get my strength from the many more who honk and wave in support. That’s what keeps me going.
It's every single republican member of Congress. They're all complicit now.
You don’t have to be a good human being to understand what a stain he is you just need to be human.
I think this is what truly makes me so sad. Half our country is ok with what we have become and where we are headed. Their denial is our demise.
Self-reflection should include the ability to handle criticism. Acknowledging even the worst parts of yourself and initiate change is a sign of maturity and willingness to accept growth. It includes being able to say you are/were wrong. I have family who support the monster(s) at the top of our government for their own personal ideology. Whether they still do today I can't say because I have not spoken to them since 2018.
Those I know in our community who did support him are scrambling to distance themselves. One just said the other day our whole system is broken. I happen to agree with that but instead of being willing to fight back, they are just throwing up their hands, blaming both sides instead of admitting they are a big part of the problem. They voted for a specific reason without looking at evidence and now can't admit they were wrong. They want someone else to fix it.
I believe that if you were able to engage those people you describe in meaningful introspection and honest expression of what they believe, you would find that at their core they are racist bigots. I firmly believe that it is that evil that is at the core of all of this. Full stop.
So many times I've ran up against this in my lifetime where I say just admit it and go on you know if we could just admit our faults then we could just move forward right instead of being stuck in this psycho soap opera of cover-ups and lives it's the same as living let live admit your wrongs and move on my mother always wanted me to move on move on move on nobody ever admitted the wrongs oh well
I’m in total agreement. I also wonder how we account for the people who exist in information “deserts”. We know that a person who watches only FOX or Newsmax, or who only listens to any of the (literally) hundreds of MAGA-adjacent podcasts, and who sees only the algorithm-provided articles, may actually not be aware of trump’s hideous cruelties.
I say this not to excuse people like this, but to raise again the question: how do we combat this? We have to deal with it; there are millions of them.
Excellent question. The news they are getting is usually the total opposite of the truth. Yet they think we are the ones believing lies and propaganda. How can we change that?
It's absolutely maddening I wonder if my family my entire family I'm all by myself over here in truthland will ever know exactly what I know and what's going on the reality and the totality and the cruelty and the absurdness that you and I experience.
Each time I hear something major you know I think okay this is going to break through now it's the Epstein files I think this will break through and maybe they'll see but you know they're covering it up as best they can and we we have to live day by day with new shit everyday I don't know it's exhausting but I understand you
Many people who support Trump will gather in church on Sunday, believing he has been chosen by God for a special purpose. However, his actions contradict the core teachings of Jesus, who emphasized love, compassion, and humility. This disconnection raises questions about the beliefs and values, making it difficult to understand how they can reconcile their faith with support for someone who acts so differently from what Jesus preached. The frustration with this contradiction can lead people to feel a sense of disillusionment and disappointment. As for me, I'm done.
This is the column that may give me the courage to finally say goodbye to my Trump supporting friends. Why is it so hard to confront them with this truth? They should be the ones who are embarassed, not me.
It's a matter of going no contact with the kool-aid drinkers. Friends or family, it's self-preservation of the most urgent kind.
My sister is one of 3 other living relatives I have. She married a Faux Noise junkie who she has since divorced, but she still sings his praises all while expressing outrage over 47.
I tried to rekindle a relationship with her after finding out she was divorced, but he self- choice to still only see her ex as a "good" person despite his misogynistic adoration for these fascist Russian assets posing as good US citizens, it's making me feel like going back to no contact is the best choice for my mental well being. #staystrong
Thank you! It's comforting to know there are others out there who are feeling the same way. I need to let go of any guilt over going no-contact.
Absolutely. No contact is truly self-preservation especially since there are zero checks in place this time with 47. They are plundering the wealth at the cost of those least fortunate. His health has caught up- the heart failure dx will come out, and, as horrible as it sounds, leaving office loudly in his sleep will be a welcomed change, even if it means JD Vance in the Oval.
Hopefully, by then the House will be Dems, and not DNC Dems, because they truly, finally llost their way back when they overrode Bernie's success and common sense, to hand our support to the highest bidders.
Pikes and pitchforks.
Cut ties is what I did with everyone... I tried and tried till I was blue in the face to get my family to acknowledge the truth .. let alone me ..
To no avail.. in the beginning I prayed for God to forgive them for they know not what they do... I blasted then with info and media news clips... NOTHING
I warned my mother a DEVOUT 97 year old mother about not being recognized on that final day..
So it was after I realized that they DID KNOW WHAT THEY DO.... that I really had to let go
Spot on. You are exactly right. I have trouble tolerating the presence of magats I know.
"But I didn't know he did all that stuff!" and "The media exaggerates everything so I didn't know what to believe!" are becoming an increasingly shrill cries from people who are genuinely rotten at their core. Didn't work for the Germans outside the camps. I hope it doesn't know.
I am not optimistic.
“Rotten at the core” or ignorant or indoctrinated? I’m not a Pollyanna, but I don’t believe fighting hatred with hatred is the answer.
I agree with you 100%. Those who still support the abomination infesting the White House are beneath contempt.
This is exactly how I feel! ✌🏼
"The Ugly American" doesn't mean what most people think it does. Here's a summary from Copilot:
Summary of The Ugly American by William J. Lederer and Eugene Burdick
The Ugly American (1958) is a politically charged novel that critiques the failures of U.S. diplomacy in Southeast Asia during the Cold War. Set in the fictional country of Sarkhan, the book uses a series of interconnected stories to expose how American arrogance, cultural ignorance, and bureaucratic incompetence undermine efforts to counter Communism.
🧭 Key Themes
Cultural Insensitivity: American diplomats often refuse to learn local languages or customs, alienating the very people they aim to help.
Effective vs. Ineffective Diplomacy: Characters like Ambassador Louis Sears embody failure, while Gilbert MacWhite and the titular “Ugly American,” Homer Atkins, succeed by engaging respectfully and practically with locals.
Cold War Tensions: The novel highlights how Soviet agents gain influence by understanding and integrating with local populations, while Americans rely on flashy but shallow gestures.
Grassroots Change: The book champions small-scale, locally informed efforts—like Father Finian’s anti-Communist campaign in Burma—as more impactful than top-down policies.
🧑🤝🧑 Notable Characters
Louis Sears: A clueless American ambassador whose incompetence benefits Soviet interests.
Gilbert MacWhite: His successor, who learns the local language and culture, striving to reverse American failures.
Homer Atkins: The “Ugly American,” an engineer whose practical aid and humility earn deep respect from locals.
BTW, the novel inspired JFK to establish the Peace Corps.
Disclosure: Eugene Burdick taught political science at Cal when I was an undergraduate.
Sue, to you. If I ever chose to attend church again, it would be the one led by John. I found him, follow him, and check in every morning for my Sermon on the Mount. I normally don’t have much to say, but must share a personal story about the “clueless ambassadors” comment. I will force myself to tell the short version of the long version your teacher told.
My husband, now hopefully with the god he believed in, was an Army Ranger, 101st Airborne, in Vietnam. A [2nd?] lieutenant on arrival there, a captain at the end of his service. He led a LRRP team (long-range reconnaissance patrol), home base Phu Bai, near the DMZ. After he was injured on patrol by a booby trap in a tree, tripped by a new member of his team (hereth begins the very short story) who he never blamed by the way, and a cast from hip to ankle that did not meet the definition of “million dollar wound,” he was reassigned as, if memory serves, the assistant brigade intelligence officer on the base (he had a degree in International Relations from G.W. [George Washington U]). His C.O. (commanding officer) said he would introduce him to the chief of the local Montagnard village (they were on our side). Steve was led to the head of a table set for dining, and the chief’s young daughters were the servers. One arrived by his side holding out a bowl of what Steve described as large, glossy marbles. His C.O., sitting next to him, leaned over and whispered in his ear…”Lieutenant Parry, don’t even THINK about saying no.” They were raw cow eyes. My husband ate one and then accepted asked for a second. I asked him how he could possibly have done that. He said they were like “big grapes; I mostly just swallowed them whole.”
P.S. My husband (and perhaps his C.O.) was not an Ugly American. He was an active member of Veterans for Peace.