I was wearing my ‘Madam President’ T-shirt in a crowded outdoor green market and Lagoon Fest in Trump country today and got many compliments and thumbs up from people of both genders and all ages.
I tried to like this comment of yours, but found I was blocked from doing so! This is the second time this has happened.
Is this your idea of freedom of speech? Block a person because they once dared to criticise you? Regardless of whether their original criticism had any merit?
"Anyone who dares to criticise me is permanently blocked from saying anything at all about me, regardless of whether it's good, bad or indifferent. Because everything I say is perfect, and may not be criticised. So I will silence them."
Your blocking me is illegitimate, because you have no valid grounds for doing so. I have never personally abused you or committed similar offences against free speech. My responses have been mixed, sometimes liking, sometimes not, but always based in critical analysis, which, last time I heard, is considered a legitimate intellectual exercise of free speech.
Are you a fascist? One of those permanently scarred by the wartime experiences of their family who were victims of the communist horror? So, now an uncritical ethno-nationalist, who in the present day can never vote even one degree left of centre because anything on that side is automatically equated with the past experience of the monstrous horror of Soviet occupation?
I have followed your comments over time here, and they make me so sad. You do have to look at your own personal biases in this present-day situation, regardless of your past family history of trauma. The point of being a free citizen in modern USA is not to perpetuate those traumas, but to acknowledge them, then heal them by transcending them, moving into a new and hope-filled future.
How about removing your block and engaging with me in worthwhile discussion of the issues?
I am going to vote on Tuesday in Putnam County, TN. (There was only one early voting place, and the lines were so long that I couldn't vote there.) Eighty percent of the voters in Putnam County will vote for Trump, if the election goes as it has for the past 20 years. All of Tennessee's electors will go to Trump. No Democrat will win local office here in Putnam County, and there is only a slim chance that a Democrat will represent me in the Senate or House.
Tennessee is a one-party state. We Democrats continue to vote, but there aren't enough of us. Why? Because our fellow Tennesseans have bought into the whole Republican/Trump/Qanon message about scary Others, "elites," etc. The language of dark against light is also being used against Democrats: they see US DEMOCRATS as the forces of darkness and even of Satanism. My neighbors vote Republican because they are good white Christians, like everybody else they know. God is a Republican to them. He loves guns and white people, and he loves Trump. He appointed Trump as his avatar and saved him from assassination in a miracle. Harris is a "Jezebel spirit," like Hillary Clinton. I have met children who believe that Ms Clinton ate babies.
Also, underneath all this is the "sado-populism" that Mr Snyder talks about: these people enjoy the spectacle of suffering that Trump created and will create if re-elected. They are also crypto-authoritarians who like to yell the word "freedom." Their philosophy is hegemonic liberty: freedom for white men, but nobody else. Even a lot of white women believe in this, presumably because allying themselves with all-powerful men is their best chance, in their view, of avoiding total abject vulnerability.
I am not sure how many years it will take before this changes, if ever. I sure wish that my vote were not meaningless. I hate the electoral college system. If Trump wins, we will just have to accept that half of our fellow Americans are crazy, or mean, or both.
Today I'm in WNC fixing my grandparents' house. An HVAC technician came. He hummed the whole time he was working and I asked what the song was. It was that Lee Greenwood song, "I'm Proud to be an American." (Ultimate negative freedom song.) Whenever he gets a text message, a gun shot noise emanates from his phone. This is the atmosphere we live in, in the red states: perpetual menace.
Of course but let's not pretend this is really a democracy, at least when it comes to Presidential races. Heck, it's not even really a democracy in elections for the Senate and House in TN because of gerrymandering. That's how they got rid of Jim Cooper who represented Nashville in the House for years.
I understand your point/frustration. But I know too many people who are working very hard to keep facts and (truth) information accessible—I’m a member of the League of Women Voters and I can assure you that there are people still seeking correct answers. As Michelle Obama asked “Do something” and I take comfort in TRYING. I’m not going to let the uninformed/dis-informed overcome what the rest of us can do to make our state better. Tennessee has a lot of good people, too—don’t be discouraged! 🗽❤️🤍💙
I know a lot of those good people: the people who descended on our state legislature to demand sensible gun laws, for example. I was there too. Gloria Johnson who is running for Senate is a hero. As I said, there are not enough of us. Patriarchal religious ideology is a huge monolith. I no longer believe it is about being "uninformed" or just not having the facts. Plenty of people in TN who are not highly educated, who don't follow the issues closely, and in some cases are barely literate are nevertheless Democrats and will vote for Harris. It's not rocket science for them. And on the other hand, my dad, a highly educated physician, has always voted Republican and was a Trump supporter like most of his friends, until Jan 6. (He is not voting this time.)
The divisions are more about loyalty: 80% of the people in TN are loyal to white male supremacy. The other 20% see the value and justice of a pluralistic democracy. They think women are people, rather than farm animals. It's kind of that simple.
Be proud of Gloria Johnson and the two Justins (Pearson and Jones). They are all great examples of how people aren’t afraid of the truth and are brave representatives standing up for what’s right! Don’t be afraid and discouraged. You are another example of what is good for Tennessee!
I am afraid. My neighbors are heavily armed, and some of them "practice" daily in their back yards. It would be irrational not to be afraid. In a way, I think there will be less violence in the short run if Trump wins decisively. If Harris wins, or if it's not clear who won, we can expect bad shit.
I think of the US as an "aspirational democracy." It's never been a democracy as many of us understand the term, but USians have been continuously fighting to make it so almost since the founding. Indeed, it does work "two steps forward, one step back" -- except in the last 40+ years it's been more like "three steps back." And as you point out, some states are better at the democracy thing than others, and some aren't even trying.
I’m so sorry, Shannon. I’d like to think that those people are just lame and wouldn’t want to engage in deadly tactics because people still go to prison for violent crimes. I think those bullies are cowards—why would they arm themselves unless they are afraid? You certainly don’t threaten them. Please live your life and don’t be a victim of their ignorance. I’m thinking of you and wishing you peace and love ☮️💟!
Have you listened to the podcast "We Live Here Now"? It's about some of the "Justice for J6" people. Yes, some people are in prison for killing cops on Jan 6 2021, and for attacking the Capitol. But some of those guys are out now, having been thoroughly radicalized in jail, and they say they intend to get even more violent if DJT doesn't win this time around. They really think this is a war, even though most of them are thoroughly middle-class and were really not suffering from any sort of oppression before they went to jail for violent crimes. They and many other Americans think that the J6 felons are political prisoners, even hostages. They arm themselves in part because they think it is manly to do so. It's kind of a fashion statement almost. I don't threaten them at all! They just love to feel like victims or potential victims, and let's be honest, they just love guns and want to use them. One of my neighbors has human-shaped targets on his home-made range.
Thanks for this, Shannon. I have a subscription to The Atlantic, but didn't know about the "We Live Here Now" podcast until you told us about it. I've spent a lot of time over the last 35 or so years learning about and talking to these people. They're simply not living in reality and I have no idea what to do about them. They believe we're an existential threat both to themselves and the country. Some of them seem, to be honest, like they're crazed people who are in desperate need of psychiatric help. What do we do with them? How do we build a society in which everyone--and I'm thinking mostly African Americans--can live their daily lives without being harassed? How many years have been taken from the lives of African Americans? What about *their* mental and physical health? There is a deeply embedded fear of black bodies in these people, so that every time African Americans open their front doors to go outside, they must always be wary of what one of these crazed people will say or do to them. The psychological impact causes real physical stress.
I'd completely forgotten about John Rawls's "veil of ignorance" until I was reminded of it in "On Freedom." Yes, that is the *real* test.
We face the same gerrymandered nightmare in Ohio. If you have not found it yet, look up https://bluetennessee.org and consider joining. It is a an effort to identify and fund more Democratic candidates and they are making progress! Similarly to Ohio, Tennessee has too many uncontested races because prospective leaders have given up... and they give up because it is difficult to fund a race. This won't be changed over night, but at this point many of the MAGAs in state offices have run only uncontested races and when someone comes out to race against them they are unprepared. I care about the people of Tennessee, where many of my relatives live, and joined Blue Tennessee, also Blue Ohio and Blue Missouri. Don't give away your power! As Dr. Snyder says, "Be as courageous and you can" and "Do not obey in advance." HarrisWalz2024!!
Good grief! Thank you for sharing this. I’m sorry this is the area in which you live as do many others in different states. Do not give up hope. Hard to believe that people believe the crazy things they do but as my husband says, if lies are reiterated again and again, people start to believe them. Thus, the Maga crowd. How unfortunate for our country and our people. How sad our country is so broken, even with the great strides made by President Biden. I’m trying to be positive and remember the work of people I admire: Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Heather Cox Richardson, Anne Applebaum, and Joyce Vance, to name a few. Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s weekly zoom meetings have been a great source of support and comfort from fellow citizens and of course, Ruth herself, with her calm but strong demeanor.
You're certainly not alone in this predicament. There are others like you, not only in Tennessee. But what if all of you decided to move to the same other state where all your votes would tip the scale your way? Of course, it's too late to do that in this election ... just ruminating.
I'm in NC right now. I don't really live here though, just staying at my grandparents' old house. Next time I could come here 30 days in advance and register to vote here maybe.
I'm a decade younger than you. I came of political age in 1968, the year I turned 17. That helps explain why I've never flown the U.S. flag, and when I wound up with flag stamps, I stuck them on upside down. But I'm actually, almost against my will, feeling a little bit hopeful now. Even though there's a huge elephant squatting in the national living room: what I call the unelected fourth branch of government, Big Money (which now controls the Supreme Court). How Harris-Walz and we the people are going to deal with that I don't know, but in my optimistic moments I believe we'll find a way.
Same age and early influences. Add to that Kent State, which I started the fall after the shootings. This past year I gave the majority of my resources to retaining our democracy (such as it is) because I have come to love this experiment in governing. I've begun to reclaim the patriotic symbols I had forsaken. For me, reading Dr. Snyder's On Freedom is the perfect ending to this intense period of election efforts. The book helped me further clarify my values and appreciate freedom from a renewed and enlarged perspective. On Tyranny guided me to an understanding of what my role could be in resisting fascists; On Freedom helped me find a place in our future, no matter the outcome of the election. I am, however, increasingly hopeful of that outcome.
I helped organize the post-Kent State shootings strike at my college (Georgetown U., Washington, DC). That was the end of my freshman year. At the end of my sophomore year came the Mayday demonstrations. I wasn't involved in the demos per se, but I got a serious taste of what martial law looks like. Talk about formative experiences! 100% agree on Dr. Snyder's importance, and Ruth Ben-Ghiat is helping me make more sense of those years -- or maybe it's more "put my own experiences in a wider context."
Not yet. There are a lot of us. Keep positive. This is not over yet... and it will not be even if Trump wins. This will be a very unstable situation. We have had this before. it made us stronger and it will again. Do not despair so totally.
Whenever the fear/despair start to make me shake or stiffen, I seem to reactively think about Ukraine's persistence, my dog's trust, my mom's love, my friends' support in their own circles of activity as well as those that include me. There are millions of people who believe in freedom for all -- Professor Snyder's post today beautifully wrote about who we are and what we can do.
Do not despair, Kit. I believe we will be fine. But if the worst does happen, we will find a way. Just look at how much solidarity has been expressed in the past few months, not only among Americans but also by citizens of other countries. People of all ethnic backgrounds and walks of life committed to decency, human dignity and freedom.
So many words spoken, shouted, ranted, hollered, whispered, e-mailed, onlined, printed, etc.
There’s only one important point here. One party’s candidate is steeped in the law and the Constitution and has the best interests of the country in mind, even if she’s not entirely sure how to serve them (and I don’t know anyone who really does despite all rhetoric to the contrary). The other party’s candidate has no respect for the law or the Constitution, and has continually through his entire life sought to evade the one and ignore the other in the process of having in mind only his own best interests.
This is the Presidency of the United States we are talking about; the one office above all others in the world for which such an understanding of the law and the Constitution is absolutely crucial. So the choice is simple.
James, I liked your comment. With respect to Ms Harris perhaps not knowing just what to do to help the country, she could do far worse than to follow the suggestions toward the end of Professor Snyder’s _On Freedom_ .
Let’s recall Thorton Wilder’s play, The Skin of Our Teeth , in which one character seeks to define the essence of a good leader by calling on Plato: “Then tell me, O Critias, how will man choose the ruler that shall rule over him? Will he not choose the man who has first established order in himself, knowing that any decision that had its spring from anger or pride or vanity can be multiplied one thousand fold in its effect upon its citizens?“ Most most American voters
I want to suggest that women need to be included in this "Light" and "Hope." We have been turned into "Korpus" since the Dobbs decision and a principal right - control over out bodies - has been snatched from us. All us us, men and women, need to fight to get it back.
Thank you for this call for us to "open the door to the light"... to "vote for the world we want to see". Here in the small town I retired to in early 2021 (on Route 66 in Oklahoma), people largely treat each other with compassion and understanding. We have a Food Pantry that gives food to people on limited incomes every two weeks. We have a Senior Center where you can get a free lunch 5 days a week (although $1.50 donation is requested each day). People see each other as "neighbors" before they see each other as "one of those people". (Surprisingly, I have seen no political signs on anyone's lawns.) Our City Manager and town lawyer are both Democrats, even though the owner of our True Value Hardware Store said to me the other day "You know, Oklahoma is a red state." I said, "I know. But the governor was a Democrat years ago." He acknowledged that but seemed to suggest "those days are long gone". I'm not so sure. But my main point is, we can have a world in which we see each other as neighbors before we see each other as members of a political party (if we even think about political parties at all). This is the world I am voting for by having voted for Kamala Harris on the 30th (the first Early Voting Day here in OK). She wants to work with all Americans regardless of political party. Frankly - based on what Mitch McConnell did when Barack Obama became POTUS - I'm not sure Kamala Harris will be able to find any elected Republicans willing to do anything more than block any and everything she wants to work on. However, she might find non-elected Republicans who are happy to model "cooperation" rather than McConnell-like "destruction". I think that would be an awesome way for her to go: Show the American people what real solutions look like... and then speak directly to the American people in ways that have the elected Republicans hear "Enact these solutions or we will vote you out!" from the American people!
I just this morning finished reading On Freedom and I thank you so much for writing it. Since Trump was elected, I have written hundreds of emails to my representatives and have joined forces with groups dedicated to creating a better, more just democracy. Together, we have written thousands of postcards, letters to the editor, listened to hundreds of speakers, and educated ourselves about the vibrant, strong, organized, and growing grassroots movements in support of democracy and freedom across the United States. It has been heartening indeed to be a part is this. Your book knit together much of what I have been working for and towards. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Reading your book instead of watching screens gave me perspective and clarity. Today’s photo did the same 🙏
Trump has done nothing but energize his opposition. And he seems to forget that Biden is still president, and until Jan 20, 2025 he controls the tanks...
Once again, you nailed it. Light over dark. Hope over despair. I’m all in for the light.
I was wearing my ‘Madam President’ T-shirt in a crowded outdoor green market and Lagoon Fest in Trump country today and got many compliments and thumbs up from people of both genders and all ages.
Happy Tuesday, America! 🗽
I tried to like this comment of yours, but found I was blocked from doing so! This is the second time this has happened.
Is this your idea of freedom of speech? Block a person because they once dared to criticise you? Regardless of whether their original criticism had any merit?
"Anyone who dares to criticise me is permanently blocked from saying anything at all about me, regardless of whether it's good, bad or indifferent. Because everything I say is perfect, and may not be criticised. So I will silence them."
Your blocking me is illegitimate, because you have no valid grounds for doing so. I have never personally abused you or committed similar offences against free speech. My responses have been mixed, sometimes liking, sometimes not, but always based in critical analysis, which, last time I heard, is considered a legitimate intellectual exercise of free speech.
Are you a fascist? One of those permanently scarred by the wartime experiences of their family who were victims of the communist horror? So, now an uncritical ethno-nationalist, who in the present day can never vote even one degree left of centre because anything on that side is automatically equated with the past experience of the monstrous horror of Soviet occupation?
I have followed your comments over time here, and they make me so sad. You do have to look at your own personal biases in this present-day situation, regardless of your past family history of trauma. The point of being a free citizen in modern USA is not to perpetuate those traumas, but to acknowledge them, then heal them by transcending them, moving into a new and hope-filled future.
How about removing your block and engaging with me in worthwhile discussion of the issues?
As Senator Cory Booker says, "Live With Love!" We have to proceed with Hope. & Trust that we have enough Americans to Do The Right Things.
I am going to vote on Tuesday in Putnam County, TN. (There was only one early voting place, and the lines were so long that I couldn't vote there.) Eighty percent of the voters in Putnam County will vote for Trump, if the election goes as it has for the past 20 years. All of Tennessee's electors will go to Trump. No Democrat will win local office here in Putnam County, and there is only a slim chance that a Democrat will represent me in the Senate or House.
Tennessee is a one-party state. We Democrats continue to vote, but there aren't enough of us. Why? Because our fellow Tennesseans have bought into the whole Republican/Trump/Qanon message about scary Others, "elites," etc. The language of dark against light is also being used against Democrats: they see US DEMOCRATS as the forces of darkness and even of Satanism. My neighbors vote Republican because they are good white Christians, like everybody else they know. God is a Republican to them. He loves guns and white people, and he loves Trump. He appointed Trump as his avatar and saved him from assassination in a miracle. Harris is a "Jezebel spirit," like Hillary Clinton. I have met children who believe that Ms Clinton ate babies.
Also, underneath all this is the "sado-populism" that Mr Snyder talks about: these people enjoy the spectacle of suffering that Trump created and will create if re-elected. They are also crypto-authoritarians who like to yell the word "freedom." Their philosophy is hegemonic liberty: freedom for white men, but nobody else. Even a lot of white women believe in this, presumably because allying themselves with all-powerful men is their best chance, in their view, of avoiding total abject vulnerability.
I am not sure how many years it will take before this changes, if ever. I sure wish that my vote were not meaningless. I hate the electoral college system. If Trump wins, we will just have to accept that half of our fellow Americans are crazy, or mean, or both.
Today I'm in WNC fixing my grandparents' house. An HVAC technician came. He hummed the whole time he was working and I asked what the song was. It was that Lee Greenwood song, "I'm Proud to be an American." (Ultimate negative freedom song.) Whenever he gets a text message, a gun shot noise emanates from his phone. This is the atmosphere we live in, in the red states: perpetual menace.
Same is true here in your neighbor, Missouri. All we can do is vote 🗽
Of course but let's not pretend this is really a democracy, at least when it comes to Presidential races. Heck, it's not even really a democracy in elections for the Senate and House in TN because of gerrymandering. That's how they got rid of Jim Cooper who represented Nashville in the House for years.
I understand your point/frustration. But I know too many people who are working very hard to keep facts and (truth) information accessible—I’m a member of the League of Women Voters and I can assure you that there are people still seeking correct answers. As Michelle Obama asked “Do something” and I take comfort in TRYING. I’m not going to let the uninformed/dis-informed overcome what the rest of us can do to make our state better. Tennessee has a lot of good people, too—don’t be discouraged! 🗽❤️🤍💙
I know a lot of those good people: the people who descended on our state legislature to demand sensible gun laws, for example. I was there too. Gloria Johnson who is running for Senate is a hero. As I said, there are not enough of us. Patriarchal religious ideology is a huge monolith. I no longer believe it is about being "uninformed" or just not having the facts. Plenty of people in TN who are not highly educated, who don't follow the issues closely, and in some cases are barely literate are nevertheless Democrats and will vote for Harris. It's not rocket science for them. And on the other hand, my dad, a highly educated physician, has always voted Republican and was a Trump supporter like most of his friends, until Jan 6. (He is not voting this time.)
The divisions are more about loyalty: 80% of the people in TN are loyal to white male supremacy. The other 20% see the value and justice of a pluralistic democracy. They think women are people, rather than farm animals. It's kind of that simple.
Be proud of Gloria Johnson and the two Justins (Pearson and Jones). They are all great examples of how people aren’t afraid of the truth and are brave representatives standing up for what’s right! Don’t be afraid and discouraged. You are another example of what is good for Tennessee!
I am afraid. My neighbors are heavily armed, and some of them "practice" daily in their back yards. It would be irrational not to be afraid. In a way, I think there will be less violence in the short run if Trump wins decisively. If Harris wins, or if it's not clear who won, we can expect bad shit.
I think of the US as an "aspirational democracy." It's never been a democracy as many of us understand the term, but USians have been continuously fighting to make it so almost since the founding. Indeed, it does work "two steps forward, one step back" -- except in the last 40+ years it's been more like "three steps back." And as you point out, some states are better at the democracy thing than others, and some aren't even trying.
I’m so sorry, Shannon. I’d like to think that those people are just lame and wouldn’t want to engage in deadly tactics because people still go to prison for violent crimes. I think those bullies are cowards—why would they arm themselves unless they are afraid? You certainly don’t threaten them. Please live your life and don’t be a victim of their ignorance. I’m thinking of you and wishing you peace and love ☮️💟!
Ditto! Stay safe, Shannon.
Have you listened to the podcast "We Live Here Now"? It's about some of the "Justice for J6" people. Yes, some people are in prison for killing cops on Jan 6 2021, and for attacking the Capitol. But some of those guys are out now, having been thoroughly radicalized in jail, and they say they intend to get even more violent if DJT doesn't win this time around. They really think this is a war, even though most of them are thoroughly middle-class and were really not suffering from any sort of oppression before they went to jail for violent crimes. They and many other Americans think that the J6 felons are political prisoners, even hostages. They arm themselves in part because they think it is manly to do so. It's kind of a fashion statement almost. I don't threaten them at all! They just love to feel like victims or potential victims, and let's be honest, they just love guns and want to use them. One of my neighbors has human-shaped targets on his home-made range.
Thanks for this, Shannon. I have a subscription to The Atlantic, but didn't know about the "We Live Here Now" podcast until you told us about it. I've spent a lot of time over the last 35 or so years learning about and talking to these people. They're simply not living in reality and I have no idea what to do about them. They believe we're an existential threat both to themselves and the country. Some of them seem, to be honest, like they're crazed people who are in desperate need of psychiatric help. What do we do with them? How do we build a society in which everyone--and I'm thinking mostly African Americans--can live their daily lives without being harassed? How many years have been taken from the lives of African Americans? What about *their* mental and physical health? There is a deeply embedded fear of black bodies in these people, so that every time African Americans open their front doors to go outside, they must always be wary of what one of these crazed people will say or do to them. The psychological impact causes real physical stress.
I'd completely forgotten about John Rawls's "veil of ignorance" until I was reminded of it in "On Freedom." Yes, that is the *real* test.
Very sad indeed 😔
And join https://bluemissouri.org lead by the amazing Jess Piper.
Yes—subscribed!🗽
We face the same gerrymandered nightmare in Ohio. If you have not found it yet, look up https://bluetennessee.org and consider joining. It is a an effort to identify and fund more Democratic candidates and they are making progress! Similarly to Ohio, Tennessee has too many uncontested races because prospective leaders have given up... and they give up because it is difficult to fund a race. This won't be changed over night, but at this point many of the MAGAs in state offices have run only uncontested races and when someone comes out to race against them they are unprepared. I care about the people of Tennessee, where many of my relatives live, and joined Blue Tennessee, also Blue Ohio and Blue Missouri. Don't give away your power! As Dr. Snyder says, "Be as courageous and you can" and "Do not obey in advance." HarrisWalz2024!!
Good grief! Thank you for sharing this. I’m sorry this is the area in which you live as do many others in different states. Do not give up hope. Hard to believe that people believe the crazy things they do but as my husband says, if lies are reiterated again and again, people start to believe them. Thus, the Maga crowd. How unfortunate for our country and our people. How sad our country is so broken, even with the great strides made by President Biden. I’m trying to be positive and remember the work of people I admire: Timothy Snyder, Ruth Ben-Ghiat, Heather Cox Richardson, Anne Applebaum, and Joyce Vance, to name a few. Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s weekly zoom meetings have been a great source of support and comfort from fellow citizens and of course, Ruth herself, with her calm but strong demeanor.
Hang on tight, Shannon! You just never know what will happen. Gloria Johnson will hopefully prevail for a seat in Congress.
You're certainly not alone in this predicament. There are others like you, not only in Tennessee. But what if all of you decided to move to the same other state where all your votes would tip the scale your way? Of course, it's too late to do that in this election ... just ruminating.
I'm in NC right now. I don't really live here though, just staying at my grandparents' old house. Next time I could come here 30 days in advance and register to vote here maybe.
https://www.ncsbe.gov/registering/who-can-register
They must not recall that it was the Christians that got fed to the Lions.
Parker - re Christians v. Lions ...Good point!
I so hope you are right. This is the first time in my 83 years that I have totally lost faith in my country and the American people.
I'm a decade younger than you. I came of political age in 1968, the year I turned 17. That helps explain why I've never flown the U.S. flag, and when I wound up with flag stamps, I stuck them on upside down. But I'm actually, almost against my will, feeling a little bit hopeful now. Even though there's a huge elephant squatting in the national living room: what I call the unelected fourth branch of government, Big Money (which now controls the Supreme Court). How Harris-Walz and we the people are going to deal with that I don't know, but in my optimistic moments I believe we'll find a way.
Same age and early influences. Add to that Kent State, which I started the fall after the shootings. This past year I gave the majority of my resources to retaining our democracy (such as it is) because I have come to love this experiment in governing. I've begun to reclaim the patriotic symbols I had forsaken. For me, reading Dr. Snyder's On Freedom is the perfect ending to this intense period of election efforts. The book helped me further clarify my values and appreciate freedom from a renewed and enlarged perspective. On Tyranny guided me to an understanding of what my role could be in resisting fascists; On Freedom helped me find a place in our future, no matter the outcome of the election. I am, however, increasingly hopeful of that outcome.
I helped organize the post-Kent State shootings strike at my college (Georgetown U., Washington, DC). That was the end of my freshman year. At the end of my sophomore year came the Mayday demonstrations. I wasn't involved in the demos per se, but I got a serious taste of what martial law looks like. Talk about formative experiences! 100% agree on Dr. Snyder's importance, and Ruth Ben-Ghiat is helping me make more sense of those years -- or maybe it's more "put my own experiences in a wider context."
When I was a small child, my favourite hymn had the words:
"In this world of darkness
We must shine,
You in your small corner
And I in mine."
It's a LOT of candle-power, if you visualise all those points of light.
Not yet. There are a lot of us. Keep positive. This is not over yet... and it will not be even if Trump wins. This will be a very unstable situation. We have had this before. it made us stronger and it will again. Do not despair so totally.
Whenever the fear/despair start to make me shake or stiffen, I seem to reactively think about Ukraine's persistence, my dog's trust, my mom's love, my friends' support in their own circles of activity as well as those that include me. There are millions of people who believe in freedom for all -- Professor Snyder's post today beautifully wrote about who we are and what we can do.
Do not despair, Kit. I believe we will be fine. But if the worst does happen, we will find a way. Just look at how much solidarity has been expressed in the past few months, not only among Americans but also by citizens of other countries. People of all ethnic backgrounds and walks of life committed to decency, human dignity and freedom.
So many words spoken, shouted, ranted, hollered, whispered, e-mailed, onlined, printed, etc.
There’s only one important point here. One party’s candidate is steeped in the law and the Constitution and has the best interests of the country in mind, even if she’s not entirely sure how to serve them (and I don’t know anyone who really does despite all rhetoric to the contrary). The other party’s candidate has no respect for the law or the Constitution, and has continually through his entire life sought to evade the one and ignore the other in the process of having in mind only his own best interests.
This is the Presidency of the United States we are talking about; the one office above all others in the world for which such an understanding of the law and the Constitution is absolutely crucial. So the choice is simple.
James, I liked your comment. With respect to Ms Harris perhaps not knowing just what to do to help the country, she could do far worse than to follow the suggestions toward the end of Professor Snyder’s _On Freedom_ .
Bless you Dr. Snyder!
Trump is a bully you can topple with your little finger. ✍🏻 #TurnThePage!
Plato on Trump :
Let’s recall Thorton Wilder’s play, The Skin of Our Teeth , in which one character seeks to define the essence of a good leader by calling on Plato: “Then tell me, O Critias, how will man choose the ruler that shall rule over him? Will he not choose the man who has first established order in himself, knowing that any decision that had its spring from anger or pride or vanity can be multiplied one thousand fold in its effect upon its citizens?“ Most most American voters
Thank you again and again! You are a national treasure.
'Trump is a bully you can topple with your little finger. '
___Timothy Snyder
We have the power in our little, even an arthritic finger, to topple the would-be dictator. Just
remember that when you are feeling blue, you have a fabulous little finger, and vote Blue!
I want to suggest that women need to be included in this "Light" and "Hope." We have been turned into "Korpus" since the Dobbs decision and a principal right - control over out bodies - has been snatched from us. All us us, men and women, need to fight to get it back.
Thank you for this call for us to "open the door to the light"... to "vote for the world we want to see". Here in the small town I retired to in early 2021 (on Route 66 in Oklahoma), people largely treat each other with compassion and understanding. We have a Food Pantry that gives food to people on limited incomes every two weeks. We have a Senior Center where you can get a free lunch 5 days a week (although $1.50 donation is requested each day). People see each other as "neighbors" before they see each other as "one of those people". (Surprisingly, I have seen no political signs on anyone's lawns.) Our City Manager and town lawyer are both Democrats, even though the owner of our True Value Hardware Store said to me the other day "You know, Oklahoma is a red state." I said, "I know. But the governor was a Democrat years ago." He acknowledged that but seemed to suggest "those days are long gone". I'm not so sure. But my main point is, we can have a world in which we see each other as neighbors before we see each other as members of a political party (if we even think about political parties at all). This is the world I am voting for by having voted for Kamala Harris on the 30th (the first Early Voting Day here in OK). She wants to work with all Americans regardless of political party. Frankly - based on what Mitch McConnell did when Barack Obama became POTUS - I'm not sure Kamala Harris will be able to find any elected Republicans willing to do anything more than block any and everything she wants to work on. However, she might find non-elected Republicans who are happy to model "cooperation" rather than McConnell-like "destruction". I think that would be an awesome way for her to go: Show the American people what real solutions look like... and then speak directly to the American people in ways that have the elected Republicans hear "Enact these solutions or we will vote you out!" from the American people!
I just this morning finished reading On Freedom and I thank you so much for writing it. Since Trump was elected, I have written hundreds of emails to my representatives and have joined forces with groups dedicated to creating a better, more just democracy. Together, we have written thousands of postcards, letters to the editor, listened to hundreds of speakers, and educated ourselves about the vibrant, strong, organized, and growing grassroots movements in support of democracy and freedom across the United States. It has been heartening indeed to be a part is this. Your book knit together much of what I have been working for and towards. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Reading your book instead of watching screens gave me perspective and clarity. Today’s photo did the same 🙏
Thank you 💙🇺🇸
Thank you Prof, Snyder for your work--writing, speaking, educating--to preserve democracy and rule of law here and in Ukraine.
You deserve a medal for your principled, persistent, and tireless efforts to save our democracy, Professor Timothy Snyder.
He has
He has six so far but who's counting :) and that's aside from all the literary awards!
Star of Lithuanian Diplomacy
Commander's Cross of the Order for Merits to Lithuania
Polish Bene Merito honorary badge
Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
Estonian Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana Class III[
Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, Republic of Austria
Trump has done nothing but energize his opposition. And he seems to forget that Biden is still president, and until Jan 20, 2025 he controls the tanks...