I want to go on the record here and make very clear that I find the equating of Zionism with American white supremacy to be deeply offensive and historically inaccurate. Disagree with the current Israeli government as I do but claims that Zionism itself is like Trumpism has no place in our community's discourse. Anti-Zionism is anti-semetic, and implicitly genocidal. Please consider taking this post down or revising it. Thank you.
So I am not exactly clear about Zionism and its goals. I fully endorse 100% (!!!) that Israel has the right to exist within it's own borders, and ideally to peacefully co-exist with it's neighbors, a nation among nations. But I am not clear if Zionism also includes expansion of those borders, incluiding Gaza and the West Bank. That is a form of empire-building, a form of colonialism, which I am absolutely against.
Is Zionism along a spectrum, where there is a radical ideological view of expansion through the middle east? That's could be the crux of it, what does Zionism actually mean and how is it understood or misundersood in the zeitgeist?
It is hard to imagine how we could have introduced a more incendiary and divisive topic to our conversation today......I am not going to spend my time litigating this issue. It's Sunday. I try to take time away and not work all day. I encourage those of you who want to engage on this topic to do your own research using Claude or Google and do not let today's chat become swallowed by it.
I often talk here about the need for people in a coalition or community to take responsibility for the sentiment they put out in the world. To be respectful and responsible neighbors in essence, and not force your own fears, anxiety, darkness on to others. To bring people together, not force them apart. We've had two instances today of folks on here writing things that were out of keeping with that spirit. Jennifer, above, knew that what she was writing was divisive and would be offensive to some here, and would trigger a spirited backlash. But she posted it any way. On a Sunday full of birds and roses and Lincoln and Jefferson......
You all are free to do what you want here but I use all this to repeat my basic plea that here we strive for civility, respect, dignity, truth at all times. The world is full of rancor and discord and trolling and disrespect. I want this place to be an antidote to all that, a respite. Most days we achieve that. We did not today, and we need to do better - Simon
I agree we are not going to solve the problems of the Middle East, and it is not what this group is about and could create discord. But, it also will be an undercurrent in the upcoming election for some, and I think Gaza had alot to do with the youth vote turning away from Democrats in 2024
Zionism aside, Trump and Neyanyahu are criminals and their respective countries need to get rid of them as leaders. I understand Israel will also have elections later this year, and I hope they succeed. That's it, I'm done with this topic.
I am concerned that Zionism is not well defined. It seems to mean different things to different people. For some it is Israel's right to exist undisturbed within its original borders. For others it seems to imply radical expansion.
Larry, trying to imagine how you could read this post today and then decide to drop this deeply negative sentiment in here and crap all over something that has clearly been bringing me great joy each day.......taking the post down would be appropriate and welcome.
Not to mention, how in the hell would you just naturally know that about the sparrow bird species?!? 😆😆😆🤦🏻 Are we sure Larry is actually apart of this community and not a troll 🙊?
"You can find House Sparrows most places where there are houses (or other buildings), and few places where there aren’t. Along with two other introduced species, the European Starling and the Rock Pigeon, these are some of our most common birds. Their constant presence outside our doors makes them easy to overlook, and their tendency to displace native birds from nest boxes causes some people to resent them. But House Sparrows, with their capacity to live so intimately with us, are just beneficiaries of our own success." - Cornell's "All About Birds"
Bluebirds aren't going to nest in Simon's yard, Larry. I can't even get them here in a large suburban property. All songbirds are endangered; I don't care where they came from originally at this point.
Thank you for highlighting James Talarico's words. They are brief and extremely powerful. Would that all Democratic elected officials and candidates spoke and acted in the same terms. Send it to your elected representatives.
Much more could be said about corruption. It gets at what most Americans are feeling, why Trump is so down in the polls and in the dumps. And as Sarah Longwell of the Bulwark says, connect corruption to the diminishment of people's hopes and lives, the diminishment of their budgets and the American Dream and their childrens' futures and that of our country and the planet. Be both for and against something powerful, and win in 2026 and beyond, by establishing a narrative and a vision, not of optimism, but of hope. This what we are against, and this is what we are for.
I applaud Simon's statement: "I now more than ever believe that our pro-democracy movement must make explicit our goal of overcoming and defeating white supremacy itself." We are way past the time for a final confrontation with white supremacy. We originally failed the test during Reconstruction and let the confederacy reassert itself. White supremacy has been the single biggest factor preventing the full realization of democracy in this country and has also hobbled the white working class. Time for it to go.
That clip of James Talerico, "rhymes" with this posted ad from Jon Ossoff. I first saw it here from some Hopiate on the chat, a couple days ago but don't recall who. Affordability is one major theme this cycle (and every cycle) Corruption could be another. Here's Ossoff's take on it.
I have a poli-crush on Jon Ossoff, every time I see/hear him speak my heart and mind quiver! I’d like to see a 30 second and an 60 second version of the ad. He and Rev. Warnock represent what we can do in purple (formerly red) states. I’m glad to see Ossof is well ahead of either of his potential opponents.
BRAVO Simon R: “Honestly, I am still reeling that something this like this could happen in America, in 2026, and articles about the Civil War never ending are coursing through my various social media feeds this weekend…From this outrage must come a deeper commitment to fight and defeat this dark and dangerous political movement that has seized power in America.”
“White supremacy is not just a malicious legacy belief system from our racist and colonial past, it’s also profoundly anti-modern; for who could, after seeing the advances and potential of the people all over the world over these past fifty years ever believe that any race or religion or culture was somehow not capable of extraordinary things, and the people of all nations not deserving of the opportunities and freedoms we cherish. “
I also agree. I remember as a young child watching LBJ speaking about introducing the Voting Rights Act (I believe that was the occasion) and emphasizing that it is on “all of us” to defeat the terrible racist legacy. “Their cause must be our cause, too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice."
I love Talarico more and more. He has his finger on the pulse of so many Americans who've felt left out of politics. I just read yesterday that 47% of Americans identify as Independent. Talarico's approach is one that can reach them.
I think to the Hopium agenda, we really need to start considering adding, "Open up America to ICC jurisdiction," so that Trump, Vance, Hegseth, and more can be held accountable for their war crimes against the citizens of other countries.
I think this is long overdue. Happy to hear other's thoughts.
I think it's an important step, but premature during the campaign. You don't want to overwhelm with too many issues. Dems could (and should) generalize about consequences for insurrectionists, so that they won't be accused of bait and switch for not campaigning on going after offenders. But there are dozens of specific policies and offenses, and you don't want to get bogged down in a smorgas board of issues which could weaken the overall message. Bottom line, I think it's a distraction during campaign season.
Just win the Congress in both houses, and then raise the issue (and write legislation) for joining the International Criminal Court. That could be based on just how low Trump and Maga get in the polls, just how big the victory is, and the sentiment of the polity when the new congress is seated. My two cents, David.
If it turns out that way, I have a great idea for a meme... "Lock him up!" (lol)
Because this country is a long way from doing that, especially with this SCrOTUS.
Simon, Why are you not listing Chris Pappas as a candidate to support for Senate in NH? Dems need to keep that seat, if we're going to take the Senate.
I am not convinced this will be a competitive race, or that Republicans are really going to spend here. If over the summer it appears competitive we will take another look at it. Harris won NH by 3 in 2024, and I don't understand how given much the national landscape has moved towards us that this will be a competitive race.
That Talarico clip it terrific. More people should see it. Why don't you post these in YouTube form so we can pass around? I suppose Substack has rules/limts?
Simon does post a lot on YouTube. Not all the short video clips he posts on Substack are there, but the longer interviews are. That Talarico piece is new, so maybe he will add that.
FWIW, Simon, I thank you for sharing the picture of your new birdhouse tenants. It takes work to see black in a rainbow.
I’m a city girl who’s been living in the ‘burbs for more than 20 years. This spring, for reasons I can’t explain, I have taken a sudden interest in gardening. I am working on removing some ugly bushes and replacing them with native plants. The work is physically demanding for this old body but so rewarding.
Since I see politics in everything, I view it as an apt analogy for the upcoming battles!!
Terrific insight MG! I was outside this morning, weeding my native prairie that's replacing some turfgrass that I removed last spring. Now I will think of getting rid of weeds for my native grasses and wildflowers as a Hopium activity.
A previous home I owned had a mini-crab apple tree that was reached my second floor bedroom window. One year I discovered a family of cardinals built a nest and hatched chicks. It was wondrous to watch the mom feed the chicks until one by one they left the nest. The following year robins moved in and started their family until the nest was vacant again. It must have been prime real estate.
Every semester I teach college students about the shameful history of race in America. That we are here once more and racism in our elections is legal again is extremely difficult to wrap my head around. The open declarations of racism in the MAGA movement are absolutely stunning, shameful, and honestly hard to believe even for someone who knows that racial history honesty is something America has never been able to do. James Baldwin is quoted as saying, "white Americans find it as difficult as they do to listen to black men... because they have forced themselves to live in a world where they are never told the truth about themselves."
We had never achieved the promise of the VRA in 60 years before Callais, but having that door slammed shut and the Supreme Court opinion reading that these districts are no longer necessary because "vast social change has occurred throughout the country and particularly in the South, which have made great strides in ending entrenched racial discrimination" is obscene. The lie that institutional racism no longer exists in America that was so starkly expressed in the 2020 VP debate between Kamala and Pence when he declared there is no longer institutional racism in America while sitting face to face with a Black woman who grew up in Oakland has now been made law.
This is indeed motivation to win big in upcoming federal elections and work like hell to reverse all the damage done by MAGA in their ugly reign.
not only MAGA, but SCrOTUS as well. Shelby, Citizens United, Reversal of Roe, Presidential Immunity, Callais, ... just to name the biggest ones while Roberts and Thomas have sat on the court.
Kent, I can't imagine how more difficult your job has become trying to explain to students why the progress gained is to be undone regarding civil rights. That a sitting governor canceled state elections in order to try and rig the system even more against minorities is as Simon stated "a breathtaking expression of tribalism and racism". They took their hoods off. This should call for more reforms of the Supreme Court. I was disappointed during Biden's term that he didn't tackle court reform. The southern states are truly going to be in for much suffering not just from gutting the voting rights but from the OBBB that guts health care, supplemental food and housing assistance. James Talerico was right when he declared that this is spiritual corruption. Hungary gave us a roadmap and we must follow their example and make it too big to rig despite their chicanery.
I attended the oral argument in Louisiana v Callais last October (scheduled for one hour, the argument lasted two hours and 45 mins—I missed my train home). Though constitutionally defensible, Alito’s opinion is a dishonest read of the 14th and 15th Amendments guaranteeing Equal Protection under the law (14th) and ensuring no one is denied the right to vote based on race, color, or “previous condition of servitude” (15th). These post-Reconstruction amendments were designed to redress the scourge of slavery and of blacks’ disenfranchisement in voting. Plaintiffs Callais, et al (four-six “non African-American voters,” as they refer to themselves) sued Louisiana for its creation—made under a district court order—of a second majority-minority congressional district in LA, claiming it violated their 15th Amendment rights. Alito knows damn well the origins of the 15th Amendment and its meaning and purpose. The fact that white Louisianans used a constitutional amendment to argue that their rights as whites were infringed by the creation of a second black district is wrong and immoral (but legally defensible on its face). It should be noted that blacks comprise something like 33% of LA’s overall population, but only one of six of LA’s congressional districts is majority-minority. Alito’s dishonesty will come back to bite him. Though the horizon looks bleak, the situation could end up backfiring on corrupt Rs by ultimately enabling the election of more Dems—but fewer black Dems—to Congress. Rs can no longer gerrymander white districts to elect Rs. The race card cuts both ways.
I want to go on the record here and make very clear that I find the equating of Zionism with American white supremacy to be deeply offensive and historically inaccurate. Disagree with the current Israeli government as I do but claims that Zionism itself is like Trumpism has no place in our community's discourse. Anti-Zionism is anti-semetic, and implicitly genocidal. Please consider taking this post down or revising it. Thank you.
So I am not exactly clear about Zionism and its goals. I fully endorse 100% (!!!) that Israel has the right to exist within it's own borders, and ideally to peacefully co-exist with it's neighbors, a nation among nations. But I am not clear if Zionism also includes expansion of those borders, incluiding Gaza and the West Bank. That is a form of empire-building, a form of colonialism, which I am absolutely against.
Is Zionism along a spectrum, where there is a radical ideological view of expansion through the middle east? That's could be the crux of it, what does Zionism actually mean and how is it understood or misundersood in the zeitgeist?
It is hard to imagine how we could have introduced a more incendiary and divisive topic to our conversation today......I am not going to spend my time litigating this issue. It's Sunday. I try to take time away and not work all day. I encourage those of you who want to engage on this topic to do your own research using Claude or Google and do not let today's chat become swallowed by it.
I often talk here about the need for people in a coalition or community to take responsibility for the sentiment they put out in the world. To be respectful and responsible neighbors in essence, and not force your own fears, anxiety, darkness on to others. To bring people together, not force them apart. We've had two instances today of folks on here writing things that were out of keeping with that spirit. Jennifer, above, knew that what she was writing was divisive and would be offensive to some here, and would trigger a spirited backlash. But she posted it any way. On a Sunday full of birds and roses and Lincoln and Jefferson......
You all are free to do what you want here but I use all this to repeat my basic plea that here we strive for civility, respect, dignity, truth at all times. The world is full of rancor and discord and trolling and disrespect. I want this place to be an antidote to all that, a respite. Most days we achieve that. We did not today, and we need to do better - Simon
I agree we are not going to solve the problems of the Middle East, and it is not what this group is about and could create discord. But, it also will be an undercurrent in the upcoming election for some, and I think Gaza had alot to do with the youth vote turning away from Democrats in 2024
Zionism aside, Trump and Neyanyahu are criminals and their respective countries need to get rid of them as leaders. I understand Israel will also have elections later this year, and I hope they succeed. That's it, I'm done with this topic.
I am concerned that Zionism is not well defined. It seems to mean different things to different people. For some it is Israel's right to exist undisturbed within its original borders. For others it seems to imply radical expansion.
I have deleted it because it’s Sunday and we all need to rest and not argue. You’re doing great work!
Larry, trying to imagine how you could read this post today and then decide to drop this deeply negative sentiment in here and crap all over something that has clearly been bringing me great joy each day.......taking the post down would be appropriate and welcome.
Hear, hear.
My thoughts exactly.
I don't know what was posted but I liked opening the newsletter and seeing the beautiful pictures. That little bird is beautiful. Made me smile.
Not to mention, how in the hell would you just naturally know that about the sparrow bird species?!? 😆😆😆🤦🏻 Are we sure Larry is actually apart of this community and not a troll 🙊?
"You can find House Sparrows most places where there are houses (or other buildings), and few places where there aren’t. Along with two other introduced species, the European Starling and the Rock Pigeon, these are some of our most common birds. Their constant presence outside our doors makes them easy to overlook, and their tendency to displace native birds from nest boxes causes some people to resent them. But House Sparrows, with their capacity to live so intimately with us, are just beneficiaries of our own success." - Cornell's "All About Birds"
Bluebirds aren't going to nest in Simon's yard, Larry. I can't even get them here in a large suburban property. All songbirds are endangered; I don't care where they came from originally at this point.
& even his "best on border" is still under water.
Thank you for highlighting James Talarico's words. They are brief and extremely powerful. Would that all Democratic elected officials and candidates spoke and acted in the same terms. Send it to your elected representatives.
Much more could be said about corruption. It gets at what most Americans are feeling, why Trump is so down in the polls and in the dumps. And as Sarah Longwell of the Bulwark says, connect corruption to the diminishment of people's hopes and lives, the diminishment of their budgets and the American Dream and their childrens' futures and that of our country and the planet. Be both for and against something powerful, and win in 2026 and beyond, by establishing a narrative and a vision, not of optimism, but of hope. This what we are against, and this is what we are for.
Yes! Anti-corruption needs to be a core message.
I applaud Simon's statement: "I now more than ever believe that our pro-democracy movement must make explicit our goal of overcoming and defeating white supremacy itself." We are way past the time for a final confrontation with white supremacy. We originally failed the test during Reconstruction and let the confederacy reassert itself. White supremacy has been the single biggest factor preventing the full realization of democracy in this country and has also hobbled the white working class. Time for it to go.
Simon, thank you for sharing the pictures. Lovely roses! This week, the birds returned to my bird feeder, always a hopeful sign!
I'm writing postcards to NC voters today.
I love the beautiful pictures.
That clip of James Talerico, "rhymes" with this posted ad from Jon Ossoff. I first saw it here from some Hopiate on the chat, a couple days ago but don't recall who. Affordability is one major theme this cycle (and every cycle) Corruption could be another. Here's Ossoff's take on it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xnj-2yfL13U
I love that Ossoff calls the president and his family crooks. Absolutely the truth.
That ad is brilliant. I just hope that people in this attention-deficit society we live in can sit still long enough to see the whole message.
It is powerful and all the ad does is tell the truth. The prescription Part D segment is a must see for everyone.
I have a poli-crush on Jon Ossoff, every time I see/hear him speak my heart and mind quiver! I’d like to see a 30 second and an 60 second version of the ad. He and Rev. Warnock represent what we can do in purple (formerly red) states. I’m glad to see Ossof is well ahead of either of his potential opponents.
I agree about the ad. It is so good. I, too, was wondering if they could effectively edit it into two ads, but also keep the long version.
It's a great ad. I watched it again. Thanks for the link.
I watched this last night. You NEED to see it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEgjjBPFzNA. Talarico is great!!
Talerico: the prophet crying out.
BRAVO Simon R: “Honestly, I am still reeling that something this like this could happen in America, in 2026, and articles about the Civil War never ending are coursing through my various social media feeds this weekend…From this outrage must come a deeper commitment to fight and defeat this dark and dangerous political movement that has seized power in America.”
“White supremacy is not just a malicious legacy belief system from our racist and colonial past, it’s also profoundly anti-modern; for who could, after seeing the advances and potential of the people all over the world over these past fifty years ever believe that any race or religion or culture was somehow not capable of extraordinary things, and the people of all nations not deserving of the opportunities and freedoms we cherish. “
I AGREE 💯,💯,💯,💯,💯 %
🇺🇸💪💙⚖️🌎🌏🌍☮️❤️🩹
I also agree. I remember as a young child watching LBJ speaking about introducing the Voting Rights Act (I believe that was the occasion) and emphasizing that it is on “all of us” to defeat the terrible racist legacy. “Their cause must be our cause, too. Because it is not just Negroes, but really it is all of us, who must overcome the crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice."
I love Talarico more and more. He has his finger on the pulse of so many Americans who've felt left out of politics. I just read yesterday that 47% of Americans identify as Independent. Talarico's approach is one that can reach them.
I think to the Hopium agenda, we really need to start considering adding, "Open up America to ICC jurisdiction," so that Trump, Vance, Hegseth, and more can be held accountable for their war crimes against the citizens of other countries.
I think this is long overdue. Happy to hear other's thoughts.
I think it's an important step, but premature during the campaign. You don't want to overwhelm with too many issues. Dems could (and should) generalize about consequences for insurrectionists, so that they won't be accused of bait and switch for not campaigning on going after offenders. But there are dozens of specific policies and offenses, and you don't want to get bogged down in a smorgas board of issues which could weaken the overall message. Bottom line, I think it's a distraction during campaign season.
Just win the Congress in both houses, and then raise the issue (and write legislation) for joining the International Criminal Court. That could be based on just how low Trump and Maga get in the polls, just how big the victory is, and the sentiment of the polity when the new congress is seated. My two cents, David.
If it turns out that way, I have a great idea for a meme... "Lock him up!" (lol)
Because this country is a long way from doing that, especially with this SCrOTUS.
Simon, Why are you not listing Chris Pappas as a candidate to support for Senate in NH? Dems need to keep that seat, if we're going to take the Senate.
I am not convinced this will be a competitive race, or that Republicans are really going to spend here. If over the summer it appears competitive we will take another look at it. Harris won NH by 3 in 2024, and I don't understand how given much the national landscape has moved towards us that this will be a competitive race.
First line, do you mean *not convinced*?
fixed, thank you
That Talarico clip it terrific. More people should see it. Why don't you post these in YouTube form so we can pass around? I suppose Substack has rules/limts?
Simon does post a lot on YouTube. Not all the short video clips he posts on Substack are there, but the longer interviews are. That Talarico piece is new, so maybe he will add that.
FWIW, Simon, I thank you for sharing the picture of your new birdhouse tenants. It takes work to see black in a rainbow.
I’m a city girl who’s been living in the ‘burbs for more than 20 years. This spring, for reasons I can’t explain, I have taken a sudden interest in gardening. I am working on removing some ugly bushes and replacing them with native plants. The work is physically demanding for this old body but so rewarding.
Since I see politics in everything, I view it as an apt analogy for the upcoming battles!!
It’s spring, a new beginning. Let’s go!!!
Terrific insight MG! I was outside this morning, weeding my native prairie that's replacing some turfgrass that I removed last spring. Now I will think of getting rid of weeds for my native grasses and wildflowers as a Hopium activity.
A previous home I owned had a mini-crab apple tree that was reached my second floor bedroom window. One year I discovered a family of cardinals built a nest and hatched chicks. It was wondrous to watch the mom feed the chicks until one by one they left the nest. The following year robins moved in and started their family until the nest was vacant again. It must have been prime real estate.
Every semester I teach college students about the shameful history of race in America. That we are here once more and racism in our elections is legal again is extremely difficult to wrap my head around. The open declarations of racism in the MAGA movement are absolutely stunning, shameful, and honestly hard to believe even for someone who knows that racial history honesty is something America has never been able to do. James Baldwin is quoted as saying, "white Americans find it as difficult as they do to listen to black men... because they have forced themselves to live in a world where they are never told the truth about themselves."
We had never achieved the promise of the VRA in 60 years before Callais, but having that door slammed shut and the Supreme Court opinion reading that these districts are no longer necessary because "vast social change has occurred throughout the country and particularly in the South, which have made great strides in ending entrenched racial discrimination" is obscene. The lie that institutional racism no longer exists in America that was so starkly expressed in the 2020 VP debate between Kamala and Pence when he declared there is no longer institutional racism in America while sitting face to face with a Black woman who grew up in Oakland has now been made law.
This is indeed motivation to win big in upcoming federal elections and work like hell to reverse all the damage done by MAGA in their ugly reign.
not only MAGA, but SCrOTUS as well. Shelby, Citizens United, Reversal of Roe, Presidential Immunity, Callais, ... just to name the biggest ones while Roberts and Thomas have sat on the court.
Kent, I can't imagine how more difficult your job has become trying to explain to students why the progress gained is to be undone regarding civil rights. That a sitting governor canceled state elections in order to try and rig the system even more against minorities is as Simon stated "a breathtaking expression of tribalism and racism". They took their hoods off. This should call for more reforms of the Supreme Court. I was disappointed during Biden's term that he didn't tackle court reform. The southern states are truly going to be in for much suffering not just from gutting the voting rights but from the OBBB that guts health care, supplemental food and housing assistance. James Talerico was right when he declared that this is spiritual corruption. Hungary gave us a roadmap and we must follow their example and make it too big to rig despite their chicanery.
I attended the oral argument in Louisiana v Callais last October (scheduled for one hour, the argument lasted two hours and 45 mins—I missed my train home). Though constitutionally defensible, Alito’s opinion is a dishonest read of the 14th and 15th Amendments guaranteeing Equal Protection under the law (14th) and ensuring no one is denied the right to vote based on race, color, or “previous condition of servitude” (15th). These post-Reconstruction amendments were designed to redress the scourge of slavery and of blacks’ disenfranchisement in voting. Plaintiffs Callais, et al (four-six “non African-American voters,” as they refer to themselves) sued Louisiana for its creation—made under a district court order—of a second majority-minority congressional district in LA, claiming it violated their 15th Amendment rights. Alito knows damn well the origins of the 15th Amendment and its meaning and purpose. The fact that white Louisianans used a constitutional amendment to argue that their rights as whites were infringed by the creation of a second black district is wrong and immoral (but legally defensible on its face). It should be noted that blacks comprise something like 33% of LA’s overall population, but only one of six of LA’s congressional districts is majority-minority. Alito’s dishonesty will come back to bite him. Though the horizon looks bleak, the situation could end up backfiring on corrupt Rs by ultimately enabling the election of more Dems—but fewer black Dems—to Congress. Rs can no longer gerrymander white districts to elect Rs. The race card cuts both ways.