He hurled hate directly at all of us last night when he repeatedly sneered at the democrats in the Chamber and they need to find a way to find away to respond to that because they represent all who are OPPOSED to him (even if you don’t like them). I hate never felt hate directed at me by a Republican president before—it’s a Trump signature. And he is signaling to MAGA that they need to hate and sneer at us as well. It’s terrifying and I think every organization in opposition needs let him know it’s a precursor to civil unrest, see e.g., Charlottesville.
I’m worn out after watching the state of the union address by the orange one and the cheers very reminiscent of Nazi Germany. And when I looked at my party for some type of protest, anger, reaction, I was faced with tiny signs on popsicle sticks, which politely said that’s a lie. I’m afraid that the present Democratic Party, which is all we really have, it’s not up to the challenge. We the constituents are rushing to town halls to protest, which is our right. We the constituents are calling our representatives which never respond. We the constituents are losing healthcare Social Security freedoms that we thought would last a lifetime. But we were wrong. Very, very very wrong. I’m so angry. I don’t know where to run. My future looks to be when I thought I would be enjoying life at this stage… I’m almost 80 years old… Instead I most likely will be losing my house. My savings of 60 years. My sense of well of everything has been destroyed. If this was the 70s, there’d be people in the street like nobody’s business ….what happened? Does anybody out there have an answer?
Here’s a thought-everyone make a sign and go outside where people can see you and hold it up! Do it for 10 minutes a day! Ask your neighbors if they can spare the time and put their dime in too Share sign slogans here so we can find out what works best. We need to connect to those around us and build common purpose. Pace e bene to all!
this is good advice .. As a Vermonter we managed to get under JD's skin. Every little bit counts as we are in a mighty fight . As I told my students Perfection is highly over-rated.
Trump's tariffs not only hurt American consumers. That countries stricken by them retaliate in kind serves to weaken the economies of each affected nation. If Trump expands his tariff attacks to include European countries as he has threatened, he will do so to the great delight of dictators around the world. The economies of Putin's enemies will have been dramatically weakened thereby crippling their ability to resist him. What the hell does Putin have on Trump?
I teach Tai chi for Health to (mainly) older adults via a nonprofit in Upstate NY, so I've really resonated with the title of your newsletter - Big Thought, Small Step, Deep Breath - very Qi! Today, I am applauding what, in Tai chi, we call the 70% rule - that we never stretch to 100% because that actually closes off the flow of energy that is needed for our best health and most effective movement. There are actually many significant reasons to give our most profoundly focused 70% to the intentions we set, so thanks for highlighting that.
His tariffs are pure insanity. He just wants to burn it all down, and take everyone and everything with it. His insanity lay bare at the feet of the ruins. He is a scourge on our great country and the world. He is completely emulating Vladimir Putin — no question in my mind!
After years of personal stress that debilitated my health and wellbeing, I had finally found time to breathe and let go. Found myself doing the 70% without knowing that was a thing. Very hard to let go of being a 100%er.
With extreme stress induced since January 20, I’m finding it a struggle to even maintain the 70%. Seems there’s just no reason to be “good” when the country is going to hell.
Living with MAGAts wears me down. They don’t even deserve my 70%.
Living in a deep red state my reps are not listening (tho I keep calling/emailing) There is no relief at any level. However once a week I protest for a cpl hours in a busy area hoping I don’t get shot (yup open and concealed carry no permit needed) I raise a poster and hand out paper bills urging ppl to see the life threatening actions being perpetrated upon them and maybe just maybe call their reps. Altho lots of the above recommendations may be helpful to some for me they are a norm of my life. “KILLING US SOFTLLY”
It has always been my fear, long before the election, that Trump would not only wreak havoc on our country but that he would destroy the economy, because that’s what he does to everything he touches. He is a terrible business man. The only thing he knows how to do is to grift and bully people. Last October The Economist said the American economy was the envy of the world. And I said to myself, if Trump wins, that won’t last. And now here we are. I don’t think I was prescient, I just saw the obvious. I grew up and lived a large portion of my life in New York. For most New Yorkers, Trump was a known quantity: a con man, a PR junky, and a buffoon (and these are the nice things one can say about him). Everything is pretty much playing out as I expected, the only aspect of Trump’s presidency I didn’t anticipate is Musk. So it is all worse than I expected because Musk has his own reasons for destroying the government and is intent on doing it without restraint. Needless to say, I am sacred, because many of us stand to lose everything or at least a lot of we have. We can criticize Biden, and he deserves criticism for several things, not least of which was running for president, but he navigated the country through the trauma of the post-pandemic, and brought us to a stable place with many actions that would lead to future prosperity. That is now being undone in a cruel and heartless manner. And the ride is just beginning, because, unfortunately, it isn’t just Trump now, it’s all the crazy, narcissistic, greedy people in his administration and beyond. I am not sure what Democrats can do. It maybe up to the people, up to us to fully oppose Trump and all he stands for. We need someone to lead us, but he or she will have to arise out of our opposition, our resistance, and our belief that democracy, flawed and messy, is the best form of government that exists.
Trump pulled out his old “greatest economy in the history of the world” last night. Sounds better than the fact of “bottom quartile of the last 60 years.” Facts seldom come into play with voters these days. Never with Trump. A freshman college student could shred any Trump lapdog economist in a debate using basic public facts.
Senator Bernie Sanders, response.
At this particular moment in history
Despair is not an Option
Giving Up in Not Aceeptable
and None of Us have the Privelege
of hiding under the covers
the stakes are just too high
let us never forget
real change only occurs
when ordinary people stand up
by the millions against oppression and injustice
and fight back
that is the history of the founding of our nation
He hurled hate directly at all of us last night when he repeatedly sneered at the democrats in the Chamber and they need to find a way to find away to respond to that because they represent all who are OPPOSED to him (even if you don’t like them). I hate never felt hate directed at me by a Republican president before—it’s a Trump signature. And he is signaling to MAGA that they need to hate and sneer at us as well. It’s terrifying and I think every organization in opposition needs let him know it’s a precursor to civil unrest, see e.g., Charlottesville.
I’m worn out after watching the state of the union address by the orange one and the cheers very reminiscent of Nazi Germany. And when I looked at my party for some type of protest, anger, reaction, I was faced with tiny signs on popsicle sticks, which politely said that’s a lie. I’m afraid that the present Democratic Party, which is all we really have, it’s not up to the challenge. We the constituents are rushing to town halls to protest, which is our right. We the constituents are calling our representatives which never respond. We the constituents are losing healthcare Social Security freedoms that we thought would last a lifetime. But we were wrong. Very, very very wrong. I’m so angry. I don’t know where to run. My future looks to be when I thought I would be enjoying life at this stage… I’m almost 80 years old… Instead I most likely will be losing my house. My savings of 60 years. My sense of well of everything has been destroyed. If this was the 70s, there’d be people in the street like nobody’s business ….what happened? Does anybody out there have an answer?
Here’s a thought-everyone make a sign and go outside where people can see you and hold it up! Do it for 10 minutes a day! Ask your neighbors if they can spare the time and put their dime in too Share sign slogans here so we can find out what works best. We need to connect to those around us and build common purpose. Pace e bene to all!
Buckle up America, we are in for the ride of our lives!! Didn’t think I would be spending my retirement years like this🥹
this is good advice .. As a Vermonter we managed to get under JD's skin. Every little bit counts as we are in a mighty fight . As I told my students Perfection is highly over-rated.
Trump's tariffs not only hurt American consumers. That countries stricken by them retaliate in kind serves to weaken the economies of each affected nation. If Trump expands his tariff attacks to include European countries as he has threatened, he will do so to the great delight of dictators around the world. The economies of Putin's enemies will have been dramatically weakened thereby crippling their ability to resist him. What the hell does Putin have on Trump?
I'm putting that # on a protest sign this weekend!
I teach Tai chi for Health to (mainly) older adults via a nonprofit in Upstate NY, so I've really resonated with the title of your newsletter - Big Thought, Small Step, Deep Breath - very Qi! Today, I am applauding what, in Tai chi, we call the 70% rule - that we never stretch to 100% because that actually closes off the flow of energy that is needed for our best health and most effective movement. There are actually many significant reasons to give our most profoundly focused 70% to the intentions we set, so thanks for highlighting that.
His tariffs are pure insanity. He just wants to burn it all down, and take everyone and everything with it. His insanity lay bare at the feet of the ruins. He is a scourge on our great country and the world. He is completely emulating Vladimir Putin — no question in my mind!
Love the Deep Breath section! It’s all about perspective-70% is WAY better than 0%!
After years of personal stress that debilitated my health and wellbeing, I had finally found time to breathe and let go. Found myself doing the 70% without knowing that was a thing. Very hard to let go of being a 100%er.
With extreme stress induced since January 20, I’m finding it a struggle to even maintain the 70%. Seems there’s just no reason to be “good” when the country is going to hell.
Living with MAGAts wears me down. They don’t even deserve my 70%.
Living in a deep red state my reps are not listening (tho I keep calling/emailing) There is no relief at any level. However once a week I protest for a cpl hours in a busy area hoping I don’t get shot (yup open and concealed carry no permit needed) I raise a poster and hand out paper bills urging ppl to see the life threatening actions being perpetrated upon them and maybe just maybe call their reps. Altho lots of the above recommendations may be helpful to some for me they are a norm of my life. “KILLING US SOFTLLY”
It has always been my fear, long before the election, that Trump would not only wreak havoc on our country but that he would destroy the economy, because that’s what he does to everything he touches. He is a terrible business man. The only thing he knows how to do is to grift and bully people. Last October The Economist said the American economy was the envy of the world. And I said to myself, if Trump wins, that won’t last. And now here we are. I don’t think I was prescient, I just saw the obvious. I grew up and lived a large portion of my life in New York. For most New Yorkers, Trump was a known quantity: a con man, a PR junky, and a buffoon (and these are the nice things one can say about him). Everything is pretty much playing out as I expected, the only aspect of Trump’s presidency I didn’t anticipate is Musk. So it is all worse than I expected because Musk has his own reasons for destroying the government and is intent on doing it without restraint. Needless to say, I am sacred, because many of us stand to lose everything or at least a lot of we have. We can criticize Biden, and he deserves criticism for several things, not least of which was running for president, but he navigated the country through the trauma of the post-pandemic, and brought us to a stable place with many actions that would lead to future prosperity. That is now being undone in a cruel and heartless manner. And the ride is just beginning, because, unfortunately, it isn’t just Trump now, it’s all the crazy, narcissistic, greedy people in his administration and beyond. I am not sure what Democrats can do. It maybe up to the people, up to us to fully oppose Trump and all he stands for. We need someone to lead us, but he or she will have to arise out of our opposition, our resistance, and our belief that democracy, flawed and messy, is the best form of government that exists.
ho-lee sh*t!
Trump pulled out his old “greatest economy in the history of the world” last night. Sounds better than the fact of “bottom quartile of the last 60 years.” Facts seldom come into play with voters these days. Never with Trump. A freshman college student could shred any Trump lapdog economist in a debate using basic public facts.