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May 28
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I hadn’t heard about this so I did a little reading- I thought this was a good take:

“This weekend, Representative Rashida Tlaib, a Democrat from Detroit, appeared at the “People’s Conference for Palestine,” where she called for the voters to punish Joe Biden at the ballot box. “It is disgraceful that the Biden administration and my colleagues in Congress continue to smear [anti-Israel demonstrators] for protesting to save lives no matter faith or ethnicity,” she exclaimed, “It is cowardly. But we’re not gonna forget in November, are we?”

Also this weekend, the Washington Post reported on plans that Donald Trump is sharing with donors to crush protests by deporting non-citizens participants. “One thing I do is, any student that protests, I throw them out of the country,” he promised. “You know, there are a lot of foreign students. As soon as they hear that, they’re going to behave.”

In short, Tlaib is so angry at Biden for denouncing antisemitic rhetoric at pro-Palestine protests that she wants to elect the man who is promising to deport them from the country.

There is something irrational, at least on the surface, about this horseshoe alliance. Many progressives are already pleading with the anti-Israel left to reconsider its determination to punish Biden, whose campaign it has spent months attempting to disrupt or target with harassment. And some protesters surely do hope merely to move Biden as far left as possible and will climb down eventually.

Tlaib, like the groups organizing the protests, opposes any two-state solution to the conflict and uses the slogan “from the river to the sea” to denote her demand for liberation of the entire territory controlled by Israel. Her speech this weekend confirmed the militant thrust of her position. It contained not even a word of condemnation of terrorism, any mention of the hostages, or acknowledgment that Jewish Israelis possess any rights to live under any future settlement. She treated criticism of antisemitic rhetoric at the protests — the extent of which can be debated, but the existence of which cannot — as nothing more than a smear…

Netanyahu is a one-stater. Trump is increasingly signaling his support for a one-state solution. Tlaib likewise supports a one-state solution. And while Trump and Tlaib obviously have opposing visions for how that single state should be governed, they share an incentive to discredit the forces of compromise that stand in their way and an unstated commitment to some violent future conflagration that will settle the struggle one way or another.”

https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/donald-trump-rashida-tlaib-vote-biden-palestine-israel-deport-crush-protests-river-to-the-sea.html

I mean- she doesn’t want a compromise or peace in the region, she wants the full destruction of Israel. I don’t know that her position, even in MI, is mainstream.

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Well said. My take is similar, that she is marginalizing herself.

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Brian Buetler wrote a good and nuanced piece about this. Progressives could push this leverage thing to the point where they will have no leverage at all. https://www.offmessage.net/p/bidens-critics-on-the-left-should

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Ctkat, you make many excellent points!

To repeat a point I’ve made before: The news media is failing to make the distinction between Pro-Palestinian demonstrations and actual Pro-Hamas demonstrations. The first are absolutely legit; the latter are totally reprehensible. Sadly, also Ms. Tlaib and numerous other politicians are failing to acknowledge this crucial distinction.

.

PS. It is worth looking up the exact wording of the Palestinian Arabic phrase "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Tellingly, this phrase appears in Hamas’ Charter. The transliteration is: "From the water to the water / Palestine is Arab." In other words, no allowance whatsoever can be made for the existence of Israel as a Jewish state or, in some readings, even the presence of Jews!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_the_river_to_the_sea#In_Arabic

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May 28
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Good points!

One of my acquaintances is a well-known author of conspiracy theories. At Princeton, one of his professors returned a writing assignment with the question: "Is English your second language?" I always found it strange that said author, who shall remain nameless, felt no shame and only amusement when he repeatedly retold this episode.

So, yes: there are a lot of voters who would greatly benefit from good arguments and summaries written in 3rd-grade English!

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May 28Edited
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Priceless!

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Don Salmon, your comment thrilled me - I have admired Robert Kegan's book on human development for many years...he offers the most powerful description of the "cultures of embedment" that foster human growth and evolution that I have ever seen. It is truly a brilliant analysis that I have used many times over the years in my work with individuals, and organizations. Thank you !

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May 28
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I have worked with many value based organizations over the past 45 years, spiritual communities, church organizations and families and individuals struggling to know how to support growth and evolution versus creating cookie-cutter "soldiers" in somebody's army. It has been an invaluable and easy to understand tool, as I have presented it....I am assuming you also might be aware of the brilliant work of Don Beck and Christopher Cowan based on the work of Clare Graves - "Spiral Dynamics" -

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Speaking as a former English teacher, I assume this was a long time ago. That kind of comment would get you into a lot of trouble today. I actually had a professor who would hand graded exams out in order; that was 1985 and that kind of thing would be strictly forbidden today.

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I might add that said author is an American, from a very privileged WASP background. And, yes, this was more than half a century ago.

For what it’s worth, English is my second language. When I have on occasion strayed onto Fox News online to browse the readers’ comments, I don’t know what has shocked me most: the often-extreme opinions, the often-stunning lack of logic, or the frequently butchered English. I think it’s actually the latter.

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Go Simon!

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Simon: I don’t mean to nitpick but the second syllable in Nevada is pronounced like bad not bod. Thanks for all that you do. I truly appreciate you!!!

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Los que hablan Espanol no son de acuerdo con este opinion. "Nevada" es un palabra con origen espanol....

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Memorial Day:

AT THE TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN PODIATRIST

In an emotional tribute, Trump thanked the fallen foot specialists who bravely risked their medical licenses so that others facing military service could be free.

Choking back tears, he said, “They gave everything so people like me could give nothing.”

– Courtesy of Andy Borowitz

https://www.borowitzreport.com/p/trump-honors-those-who-helped-others

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Simon...a very moving post and a great interview! The Lincoln Memorial ...is impressive. So hard to deal with the shite TFG throws out everyday...and all of the negative shite from the media...about Biden mostly and how his campaign is not successful, etc.

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Simon hopefully you are right that we will prevail in a close election. But even if we do what increasingly concerns me is the very real possibility of violence if the MAGA cult leader is once again rejected by the voters. I am afraid that Trump will incite violence even worse, perhaps far worse, than what happened on Jan. 6. And I am concerned that once again our federal agencies like the FBI will be caught with their pants down and be unprepared to deal with the amount of physical violence that we will experience. Already Trump and some Republican politicians are starting to say that they won't trust the results of the election. On the one hand this is probably a good sign that they think they are going to lose, but on the other hand it signals that they won't accept the results and will support violence against election workers, Democrats in general and the courts. Do you or any of your readers feel confident that our law enforcement agencies are better prepared this time to deal with it?

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Anything has to be better than Jan 6, 2021.

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Two points: 1) Here we spend our time working to ensure that we win the election by a big margin so none of their BS matters 2) Rs want you to be scared, so you worry more, do less. Don't let them spook you. Do more, worry less. Onward, S

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Unlike Jan. 6, 2020, Biden would call in the National Guard and ask for help from states to use their Guards.

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Right on - I've also said it before. There are pros at work at this end of the problem. If the electoral result is clear and certification is clear the chain of command is clear. If you're involved in enforcement and security bless you and do the right thing by our Constitution. For the rest of us, it is campaigning and voting.

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Steven, I live in Portland. As you may know, we had a bit of a teargas/riot problem in 2020. Law Enforcement, in my view, originally misunderstood that the riots were intentionally caused by the Proud Boys. The Good News is that they figured it out. The main instigator of the riots was a 300 LB Proud Boy named Tiny Toese. Because, of course, his nickname is "Tiny". And he was sentenced to 95 months in prison. So, yes, the FBI has corrected course and we now a new guy running our local FBI field office. I am way more confident than I was in 2020.

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Karen, thank you for that hopeful information. I appreciate it. It is very hard not to get anxious about this election. I had no idea that the Proud Boys had intentionally started the riots. I sure didn't hear that in the mainstream media. You live in such a beautiful city. We live in the east coast and enjoy spending some time in Portland when we visit my sister and brother-in-law who live in Eugene. I always have to make a stop at Powell's Bookstore.

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Powell's is a wonderful gem!!! I love going there. The Proud Boys have been stirring up trouble in the Pacific Northwest for many years. Malcolm Nance covered this in his 2022 book "They Want to Kill Americans". Now that so many Peanut Butter Boys are in prison, we'll see if we have a calm tear-gas free summer. Fingers crossed!!!!

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SO....

In the spirit doing more and worrying less ...which you are right.,definitely makes me feel better ... and in support of your campaign for North Carolina..... I'd like to share the following with all my other Hopium members:

Hey, if anyone wants to take a deeper dive into North Carolina please sign up for this All in North Carolina zoom event tonight, May 28, at 7:30 PM/EST, with Heather Cox Richardson ,who is helping us raise the funds we need to win in North Carolina this year! Speaking with her will be Dan Squadron of The States Project & NC Dem Leader Rep. Robert Reives.

And this all happening under the blessings of NC Democratic Party Leader, Anderson Clayton!

Here’s the link to join & donate: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ainc-states-nc-house

Really HOPE that many of you can join us!

Gail

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Excellent! Love Anderson Clayton, and historian Heather Cox Richardson is impeccable.

Gail, do you have a link to your Zoom event?

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Here’s the link to join & donate:

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ainc-states-nc-house

Hope you can join!! xxG

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Thanks. Ah, my apologies! I did not realize it was all in one link.

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👍Good job reminding. Just signed up. Postcarding for NC while watching.

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Sounds like a great event Gail thanks for all your hard work. Sorry I can't join you - it's graduation/prom season and I am bit busier than usual.....

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Simon… you will be missed ! But you are more than entitled to claim being “busy”! Rick Galen, of The Lincoln Project , told me he wished he could clone you!!! Thanks for your support of all that I am involved in… Gail

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Thank you sooo much!!

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No worries, hopefully we'll be "toasting" you and ourselves come November. Pun intended, obviously. I was in DC staying with friends who live in the Capitol Hill neighborhood and we took a moonlight stroll two weeks ago. It was quite sobering hearing their narrative of how their neighborhood was transformed, and how they know local beat cops (called upon to reinforce Capitol police) who remain traumatized even today.

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Toasting Simon – and roasting Donald. Sounds good to me!

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Repeating a quote I used with Mr Hubbell today, William James said, “Act as if what you do matters. It does.” From the large array of actions we can take, even the seemingly simplest, smallest one matters. So, just do it!

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Simon, I’d like to ask what you make of Hilary Clinton’s recent comments criticizing the Democratic Party with regards to not working early enough to codify Roe and also warning the party to stay vigilant and take the threat of Trump seriously? She does believe like we do here with Hopium, that Biden will be re-elected. However, one can understand her personally tied concerns towards seeing a repeat of 2016. Do you anticipate that Biden and team are utilizing her wisdom and advice as the campaign rolls forward?

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And also, with the wisdom of hindsight, while we were in control of the Presidency and both chambers of Congress, Democrats should have granted statehood to DC and enabled a clear path to statehood for Puerto Rico.

There is probably a long list of such "if only...", with Roe and statehoods near the top.

In fairness, few if any of us imagined that any Supreme Court Justices would become willing to *totally ignore* 50 year of judicial precedence – especially after clearly and solemnly promising to respect said precedence during their Senate judicial hearing.

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Politico is out with another Dems are losing their minds with worry piece today. It’s the usual nonsense from Politico but what do we make of these anonymous sources? What compels supposed campaign advisers to air their worries to a trash operation like Politico? Ego? Inner campaign politics/rivalries? Or are they even real? How do we overcome this and get the real info - the hopium message out there

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May 29
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I agree that we shouldn't ignore them, but I think it's important to remember that there are different opinions in the Dem sphere on Biden's viability, and if a writer/reporter's assignment is to write a piece on how and why the Dems are freaking out, that writer will seek out the sources who make a case for that opinion. What the writer didn't do, and what troubles me about Politico in general, is that they didn't seek out anyone (including Simon) who might have shared a different take on Biden's chances. The piece also focused on dismantling straw men that the press itself have long set up, such as that Silicon Valley used to be in the tank for Dems, and now they're abandoning them. In all of these instances, the news doesn't make the story; the story makes the news.

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One would think that we would see articles of republican insiders “secretly freaking out” over a twice-impeached insurrectionist and rapist with criminal indictments amounting to 88 criminal charges, yet we never do. Yes we see the “never Trumpers” who have left the party but they are not the same as these anonymously sourced articles. Just sayin’.

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I ignore Politico, and if you want to have a happier life, I'd recommend you do the same. TPM and Propublica are good sources.

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The CB Consumer Confidence survey showed something really meaningful. Biden has a real chance to sell the economy younger votes.

"On a six-month moving average basis, confidence continued to be highest among the youngest (under 35)..."

https://www.conference-board.org/topics/consumer-confidence

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Watched your CSpan interview-was great! You are our model for information warrior

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I have wondered why there isn’t an investigation into whether Trump sold or used the documents he kept in an illegal way. Would sure help get the case moving!

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