The process of distillation means to purify, purge, or rid a substance of impurities. In the usual sense, distilling concentrates the “essence” of the matter being vaporized. Depending on your viewpoint, the Republican “base”, those who exemplify the core values of the party is in a state of distillation, the results of which will go a long way toward determining the fate of the conservative movement in America going forward. It can be argued that Democrats, had also gone through the process in the 1960s as judicial and legislative decisions of that era drove many Dixiecrats from the party into…
Isn’t it rich?
Forgive me for the theatricals. If after you read this diary that you feel cheated, just think of all the wasted time frittered away this week by the stalwart House Managers who fought the good fight and presented an iron-clad case against the twitterer-in-chief only to face jury nullification from Republican Senators incapable of courage, many of whom were complicit in the crime at hand. …
Just a quick observation of the impact of yesterday’s impeachment trial performances. The general impression by most-even most Republicans — is that the Trump team of lawyers was awful. They failed to defend the former president on their most powerful argument before their jurists — -that the whole proceedings were a sham because they were “unconstitutional.”
In order of appearance the firm of “dumber and dumb” blew it. First, they praised the arguments of their opponent, then, they gave up the fact that Trump lost the election — -words that are unutterable among the former president’s inner circle. The second…
After the events of the past two weeks, I am just about written out. What more can be said about the harrowing journey we have taken-how quickly the story we have always believed about ourselves turned into a nightmare. What we witnessed on January 6, is as ugly and disheartening as it was inevitable. Those of us who have blogged this era have hit on the themes and their consequences for a while now. That is how obvious it has been and how imminent it seemed once Trump was installed as president. It has been a long, hard slog, has…
After the events of last Wednesday, we are left to deal with the residue. Four years ago the nation elected a fascist as our president and believed we could reform his worst tendencies. Pundits made a case for surrounding him with “adults “ and the “guardrails” they would provide. Some even believed that he was simply unsophisticated and needed to be schooled. Jared and Ivanka would certainly soften his administration as uber-sophisticates who would interpret for him the rules of the road. …
The mob that infiltrated the Capitol today is undoubtedly the responsibility of the Republican Party and its president (despite what Tucker Carlson says and Fox News reports.) Their actions over the past four years prepared the way for what has to be the worst display of homegrown terrorism in our history. There were other incursions, like the one in 1954 in which 5 representatives were wounded. But nothing of this scale — -and nothing with such dangerous intent. This mob was intent on taking over the government on behalf of Donald Trump. The flags they carried included “Trump s 2020…
So this is what we have come to, our democracy is being tested by a two-bit hustler who cheats. Donald Trump has found the weak underbelly of our republic in the form of the Republican party and its cynical leadership. Generally, a loser and inveterate low-life like Trump would not be worth the careers and reputations of the Republicans who still follow him despite their knowing better. Yet, they offer their support willingly. They are afraid. …
A little more than a year before he was assassinated, the 35th president spoke at the Yale University commencement. His speech that day was not so memorable, it was not front-page news or breaking news material. We are now learning, among other lessons, how much our leaders’ words matter, and how much we miss the times when their words were meaningful and deeply felt.
The death of JFK for many of us Baby Boomers was an enduring bookmark noting a time before which we were imbued with an infectious idealism, and after which we were infected with an even more…
The elation has just started to set in. Biden Wins (headline)! Trump Dumped (marquee)! The news that seemed to ooze out in dribs and drabs for days suddenly burst out like an exploding party balloon at a Corleone birthday — -first shock, followed by laughter and relief.
The tenor of the news commentary, however, is decidedly mixed and sanguine. The dourness of the past four years has a half-life that extends beyond the day after the happiest day of the past four years. “Will Trump Concede?” (who gives a shit); “What will McConnell do?” (as if the turtle had a…
Marin Mazzie, October 9, 1960 — September 13, 2018
Before
I thought that I had lived through an era of momentous historical significance. Anyone born at the half-century that began with the end of a red-hot war and the start of the Cold War has witnessed an America emerging from its provincial past, replete with remarkable achievements and self-imposed setbacks. We were a nation that would emerge from the doldrums and adversity of a depression and war to a position of world dominance. The transformation would not be simple or without its trials and tribulations. There would be political social turmoil…
Vince Rizzo
Former president of the International Association of Laboratory Schools (IALS) and a founder of a charter school based on MI theory.
