We must persist in our prosecution of these crimes - all of them - and those who support(ed) them. We cannot yield to the unending dissembling of this cult/faction.
“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” - Frederick Douglass
And somehow, we need to return to an acceptance of facts (not alternative facts) as foundational and let all the lying and alternate realities die from starvation. Otherwise, we remain vulnerable to the next narcissistic conman spewing a persuasive anti-democratic message.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Brother Steven. Posting this on my FB page, I led with this: “Yes, most of us have a side that cries out for immediate pain delivered to Loser. But there’s a much higher — and far more crucial — calling. We need to internalize this precious message from the ever-insightful Steven Beschloss.”
Yes, we’ve been triggered and yes, it is time to fight fire with fire. The fire of words and pictures of how authoritarians /dictators squash any opposition by educators, journalists, LGBT+, people of color, activists, students, actors, religious minorities, shall I go on and on.....?
Thank you Steven. I so appreciate the way you perfectly articulate the crux of these troubling days. I will carry on doing the slow, tedious work to send postcards to voters and support our democratic causes and remain hopeful that this country won’t descend into utter darkness by allowing Rump - the greedy, narcissistic conman- access to the White House again. I love Joe Biden and think he has been doing an amazing job. There… I said it.
I also become infuriated when Trump being is treated differently. It is setting a precedent for future political candidates or elected officials to do the same thing, with assurances they too can get away with it. Congressman George Santos is a prime example of this strategy. It is the Republican Party at fault for all of this madness. They too must be made to pay.
We all will have an opportunity in 2024 to remove them from public office from sea to sea. All of the Trump enablers must also go to prison . When we have control of the senate and house again we must reign in SCOTUS and remove the partisan jurist who have tried to rewrite our constitution to fit the needs of GOP.
I agree that today is a hopeful day, and it’s time to let our legal system do what it was designed to do…to provide equal justice under the law to any citizen who has broken the law, without regard to who they are, or how much money or power they may have.
I’m confident that Jack Smith and his team will lead the way. Let the process begin. And to those who think this is a sad day, your wrong, seven years of pain and sadness may be finally coming to an end!
I noticed he was alone, no family walking with him, no photo opts of support. Is his treacherous character catching up with him? Midas, alone counting his gold. Oh, how I'd hate to be him!
Thank you for correctly calling out Trump's supporters as members of a cult. There's an entire army of Trump analysts who have spent millions of words trying to explain to us why his supporters are so loyal to him. As with all things Trump, efforts to complicate and obfuscate just can't hide the reality that he is a cult leader, and, that's all he is. And in line with all cult leaders his goals are not complicated: money and power.
I have to add that, in his apparent desire to match Trump's bloodlust, Ron DeSantis just called for slitting the throats of government bureaucrats as his approach to draining the swamp. To whom is he trying to appeal? This violent demagoguery has no place in our politics.
Michael, I agree with you about not allowing ourselves to be caught up in any terrible bloodlust, which we have seen from the past, may lead to unspeakably terrible mob behavior like vigilante lynchings.
However, to me, and many others, the question looms about us having a multi-tiered justice system, with the special attention this charlatan gets, because he weaseled his way into The Oval Office, the first time.
It is a real dilemma.
I can just see the mugshot T-shirts now on his cult followers, as I hear the lead sycophant, Pence, may be capitalizing on “You’re too honest T-shirts”.
Part of the big problem, on all of this, is the worst person to ever become President, in my opinion, keeps getting the a bullhorn, every time he wants it.
But, in the final analysis, he is a citizen, and the facts, numerous times-have shown, he has committed gross crimes.
Do we just say, “No one is above the law.”, or do we enforce that.
I, for one, think he should treated no differently.
Trump has not been able to summon violent mobs since the January 6 insurrectionists have been being sentenced. That is a salutary lesson for us. Trump's crimes need to be punished or they will recur. If Trump doesn't repeat them, someone else will.
I'll share a secret with you: I find myself, at times, on the precipice of that same craving for a photograph, an image to finally solidify in technicolor that "no one is above the law." Yet, I find myself also swaying to the rhythm of the well-worn phrase, "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." Indeed, it does.
Let's not forget that this country was built on the principle of justice, not vengeance. And it is justice that demands due process and equal treatment under the law. For Donald J. Trump, as for every citizen, this principle holds true—whether we love him, loathe him, or simply view him with an incredulous curiosity that he continues to bask in the limelight despite the ever-mounting legal storm clouds.
And yet, the enticing allure of a moment's satisfaction—the click of handcuffs, the humbling image of a once untouchable figure in a mugshot, the sweet schadenfreude of seeing him finally face real consequences—is undeniably potent. To see that orange face blanch in the cold fluorescence of a police station would, undoubtedly, provide a moment of catharsis for those who've long yearned for it.
But the potency of that satisfaction should give us pause. Is this not the same dangerous passion, the same mob mentality that once chanted "Lock Her Up"? Wasn't it this very mindset we decried as harmful to our democracy and as an assault on our shared values of justice and decency?
Here's the rub: in our quest for justice, we risk morphing into the very monster we've been fighting. To cheer for a public spectacle—where revenge replaces justice, where the thirst for a comeuppance supersedes the principles of fair and equal treatment under the law—comes perilously close to the line we've fought so hard to draw in the sand.
Instead, let's draw our satisfaction from knowing that those principles we hold so dear are finally, at last, being put into action. We may find our catharsis in due process rather than a spectacle, in the rule of law rather than the roar of the crowd. We may find our satisfaction in the slow, steady grind of justice that, though often frustrating, ultimately bends toward the truth.
After all, if we truly wish for a future free of demagogues and divisiveness, a future where truth and justice prevail, we must do the hard work of showing—not simply telling—the world that our values stand for more than catchy slogans or gratifying images. This starts with demanding justice for all, even when that justice comes without the satisfying click of handcuffs or the humiliation of a mugshot.
Our shared purpose, as you've so eloquently put it, is to serve justice and not pursue retribution. And our road to democratic repair lies not in the satisfaction of seeing a single man fall, but in the collective rise of our shared values. So let's start there, not with a photo, but with a principle: that no one, no matter how high his former office or how loud his rhetoric, is above the law.
I think Trump should be treated like any other alleged criminal. If course, I'd love to see him in prison garb! But you're right: that would be acting like him. He deserves a speedy trial, and then we can start putting him behind us.
How sad a man is Trump! No contrition. No remorse. No shame. Trump is a draconian monster on steroids. His followers misguided deputies for his dark, dismal, and conflicted world filled with hate. But this evil is not new on our nation's horizon. It started decades ago with "Christian" evangelicals and fundamentalists who have spent generations trying to twist our nation into a fascist theocracy. That many of those Trumpian worshipers refer to Trump as their "Jesus" should make every good-minded citizen sit back in wide disbelief. IF Trump were to win 2024, we will have welcomed and embraced a culture of darkness and dread. We will have opened the floodgates to calculated evil. The pall of darkness, of sinister destruction that they propose for this nation will make Hitler and Mussolini look like child's play. Where are the voices pushing back, declaring that will NOT be our United States? The spiritual and psychological hideousness proposed by Trump's dark forces will turn this country into a river of blood. You think not?
And, all the while with attention focused on Trump, Ron DeSantis is out there broadcasting to the world that if he becomes president, he will on his first day "start slitting throats"! Where on earth does such intemperate wickedness come from? What drives a person to exhort such viciousness? Such inhumanity? Such EVIL? Ron DeSantis is not qualified to be considered so much as human; much less as someone qualified to sit at the highest seat in our land. The evil and dark forces among us have taken center stage. Our world is growing mad; mad, mad, mad.
We must persist in our prosecution of these crimes - all of them - and those who support(ed) them. We cannot yield to the unending dissembling of this cult/faction.
“Find out just what any people will quietly submit to and you have found out the exact measure of injustice and wrong which will be imposed upon them, and these will continue till they are resisted with either words or blows, or with both. The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.” - Frederick Douglass
And somehow, we need to return to an acceptance of facts (not alternative facts) as foundational and let all the lying and alternate realities die from starvation. Otherwise, we remain vulnerable to the next narcissistic conman spewing a persuasive anti-democratic message.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Brother Steven. Posting this on my FB page, I led with this: “Yes, most of us have a side that cries out for immediate pain delivered to Loser. But there’s a much higher — and far more crucial — calling. We need to internalize this precious message from the ever-insightful Steven Beschloss.”
Thank you kindly, John. Much appreciated.
Isn’t anyone concerned about “triggering” the decent people in the country? People with intelligence, integrity, morality, and common sense?
We’ve been triggered and triggered.
Yes, we’ve been triggered and yes, it is time to fight fire with fire. The fire of words and pictures of how authoritarians /dictators squash any opposition by educators, journalists, LGBT+, people of color, activists, students, actors, religious minorities, shall I go on and on.....?
Thank you Steven. I so appreciate the way you perfectly articulate the crux of these troubling days. I will carry on doing the slow, tedious work to send postcards to voters and support our democratic causes and remain hopeful that this country won’t descend into utter darkness by allowing Rump - the greedy, narcissistic conman- access to the White House again. I love Joe Biden and think he has been doing an amazing job. There… I said it.
Thank you for the “slow, tedious work,” Leslie. So necessary.
Could not agree more!
I also become infuriated when Trump being is treated differently. It is setting a precedent for future political candidates or elected officials to do the same thing, with assurances they too can get away with it. Congressman George Santos is a prime example of this strategy. It is the Republican Party at fault for all of this madness. They too must be made to pay.
We all will have an opportunity in 2024 to remove them from public office from sea to sea. All of the Trump enablers must also go to prison . When we have control of the senate and house again we must reign in SCOTUS and remove the partisan jurist who have tried to rewrite our constitution to fit the needs of GOP.
I agree that today is a hopeful day, and it’s time to let our legal system do what it was designed to do…to provide equal justice under the law to any citizen who has broken the law, without regard to who they are, or how much money or power they may have.
I’m confident that Jack Smith and his team will lead the way. Let the process begin. And to those who think this is a sad day, your wrong, seven years of pain and sadness may be finally coming to an end!
I noticed he was alone, no family walking with him, no photo opts of support. Is his treacherous character catching up with him? Midas, alone counting his gold. Oh, how I'd hate to be him!
Thank you for correctly calling out Trump's supporters as members of a cult. There's an entire army of Trump analysts who have spent millions of words trying to explain to us why his supporters are so loyal to him. As with all things Trump, efforts to complicate and obfuscate just can't hide the reality that he is a cult leader, and, that's all he is. And in line with all cult leaders his goals are not complicated: money and power.
I have to add that, in his apparent desire to match Trump's bloodlust, Ron DeSantis just called for slitting the throats of government bureaucrats as his approach to draining the swamp. To whom is he trying to appeal? This violent demagoguery has no place in our politics.
Michael, I agree with you about not allowing ourselves to be caught up in any terrible bloodlust, which we have seen from the past, may lead to unspeakably terrible mob behavior like vigilante lynchings.
However, to me, and many others, the question looms about us having a multi-tiered justice system, with the special attention this charlatan gets, because he weaseled his way into The Oval Office, the first time.
It is a real dilemma.
I can just see the mugshot T-shirts now on his cult followers, as I hear the lead sycophant, Pence, may be capitalizing on “You’re too honest T-shirts”.
Part of the big problem, on all of this, is the worst person to ever become President, in my opinion, keeps getting the a bullhorn, every time he wants it.
But, in the final analysis, he is a citizen, and the facts, numerous times-have shown, he has committed gross crimes.
Do we just say, “No one is above the law.”, or do we enforce that.
I, for one, think he should treated no differently.
Trump has not been able to summon violent mobs since the January 6 insurrectionists have been being sentenced. That is a salutary lesson for us. Trump's crimes need to be punished or they will recur. If Trump doesn't repeat them, someone else will.
I'll share a secret with you: I find myself, at times, on the precipice of that same craving for a photograph, an image to finally solidify in technicolor that "no one is above the law." Yet, I find myself also swaying to the rhythm of the well-worn phrase, "an eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." Indeed, it does.
Let's not forget that this country was built on the principle of justice, not vengeance. And it is justice that demands due process and equal treatment under the law. For Donald J. Trump, as for every citizen, this principle holds true—whether we love him, loathe him, or simply view him with an incredulous curiosity that he continues to bask in the limelight despite the ever-mounting legal storm clouds.
And yet, the enticing allure of a moment's satisfaction—the click of handcuffs, the humbling image of a once untouchable figure in a mugshot, the sweet schadenfreude of seeing him finally face real consequences—is undeniably potent. To see that orange face blanch in the cold fluorescence of a police station would, undoubtedly, provide a moment of catharsis for those who've long yearned for it.
But the potency of that satisfaction should give us pause. Is this not the same dangerous passion, the same mob mentality that once chanted "Lock Her Up"? Wasn't it this very mindset we decried as harmful to our democracy and as an assault on our shared values of justice and decency?
Here's the rub: in our quest for justice, we risk morphing into the very monster we've been fighting. To cheer for a public spectacle—where revenge replaces justice, where the thirst for a comeuppance supersedes the principles of fair and equal treatment under the law—comes perilously close to the line we've fought so hard to draw in the sand.
Instead, let's draw our satisfaction from knowing that those principles we hold so dear are finally, at last, being put into action. We may find our catharsis in due process rather than a spectacle, in the rule of law rather than the roar of the crowd. We may find our satisfaction in the slow, steady grind of justice that, though often frustrating, ultimately bends toward the truth.
After all, if we truly wish for a future free of demagogues and divisiveness, a future where truth and justice prevail, we must do the hard work of showing—not simply telling—the world that our values stand for more than catchy slogans or gratifying images. This starts with demanding justice for all, even when that justice comes without the satisfying click of handcuffs or the humiliation of a mugshot.
Our shared purpose, as you've so eloquently put it, is to serve justice and not pursue retribution. And our road to democratic repair lies not in the satisfaction of seeing a single man fall, but in the collective rise of our shared values. So let's start there, not with a photo, but with a principle: that no one, no matter how high his former office or how loud his rhetoric, is above the law.
I think Trump should be treated like any other alleged criminal. If course, I'd love to see him in prison garb! But you're right: that would be acting like him. He deserves a speedy trial, and then we can start putting him behind us.
The greater threat to America’s future is not the MAGA zealots but rather the apathetic. People who don’t follow the news, and don’t vote
How sad a man is Trump! No contrition. No remorse. No shame. Trump is a draconian monster on steroids. His followers misguided deputies for his dark, dismal, and conflicted world filled with hate. But this evil is not new on our nation's horizon. It started decades ago with "Christian" evangelicals and fundamentalists who have spent generations trying to twist our nation into a fascist theocracy. That many of those Trumpian worshipers refer to Trump as their "Jesus" should make every good-minded citizen sit back in wide disbelief. IF Trump were to win 2024, we will have welcomed and embraced a culture of darkness and dread. We will have opened the floodgates to calculated evil. The pall of darkness, of sinister destruction that they propose for this nation will make Hitler and Mussolini look like child's play. Where are the voices pushing back, declaring that will NOT be our United States? The spiritual and psychological hideousness proposed by Trump's dark forces will turn this country into a river of blood. You think not?
And, all the while with attention focused on Trump, Ron DeSantis is out there broadcasting to the world that if he becomes president, he will on his first day "start slitting throats"! Where on earth does such intemperate wickedness come from? What drives a person to exhort such viciousness? Such inhumanity? Such EVIL? Ron DeSantis is not qualified to be considered so much as human; much less as someone qualified to sit at the highest seat in our land. The evil and dark forces among us have taken center stage. Our world is growing mad; mad, mad, mad.