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Books selectors, pages, etc.
Heather Cox Richardson's new book - "DEMOCRACY AWAKENING"
By islander
December 5, 2023 9:10 am
Category: Books

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WOW !! Just read “Democracy Awakening” !! Absolutely wonderful. For anyone who loves to read and loves history, especially the history of our own nation. This book is EXCELLENT and I highly recommend it ! Heather tells what our history really tells us about ourselves, and what the future of democracy can be and Heather is getting this message out to millions of Americans and every day more and more Americans are listening !

This review of her book is rather long but well worth reading:


"In Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America, historian and “people’s teacher” (via her social media and newsletters) Heather Cox Richardson has created a sweeping connect-the-dots history of how we got to where we are now. Where we are now—grappling between remaining a democracy or becoming an authoritarian country—has long roots, and in Parts 1 and 2, she starts at the beginning of American history and follows those roots into global history (mostly chronologically, but when she backtracks—specifically tracing the Nazi rally in Charlottesville, VA, back to its historical beginning—it is organic and easy to follow). Once we advance into the events of the last few years, people who follow the news will already be fully informed, but this is a book that will stand as a valuable history for future readers, so it is great to have all this documented in story form.


I cannot possibly reduce this work (or even retain as much as I’d like—this is a book to read multiple times), so suffice it to say: it is readable, fast, understandable, and rather than throwing in absolutely every detail as a lot of historians do, she opts to tell a specific American story efficiently: the story of American democracy—a belief th
at all people should have equal rights and have a government by their consent.

Because I’m interested in why people are so vulnerable to manipulation, power-greediness, and a herd-like compulsion to move with others even when doing so makes no sense and undermines democracy, I was particularly struck the very first time I read about a nonsense statement that split people into warring cultures:


[In 1971] Phyllis Schlafly said: “Women’s lib is a total assault on the role of the American woman as wife and mother and on the family as the basic unit of society. Women’s libbers are trying to make wives and mothers unhappy with their career. . . .”

This kind of statement, assuming that if anybody gets something (or said another way, if everybody gets equal rights), somebody else must lose something, is key to Movement Conservatism (creating rifts between oneself and others who are deemed “bad”) that Cox traces back to 1937. And it is key to the intentional attempt to destroy civil society, establish chaos—which most people will do anything to stop—and thereby lay the foundation for people’s desire for a “strong man” to make it stop, evoking authoritarianism and extinguishing democracy.

You could plug into this kind of “this causes that hurt/loss” statement any number of things: true history that includes our racist roots; the right to decide what we do with our bodies; climate change causes; etc. This critical false equivalence (lie), I believe, can only be combatted if people decide to think—use common sense—rather than react in fear of chaos. And common sense is a real possibility: In Part 3 of this book, Cox writes about how powerful common sense was in moving us to independence: Thomas Paine’s pamphlet Common Sense rejected the idea that any man could be born to rule others and called “ridiculous” the notion that an island should rule a continent. “Paine’s spark set to flame more than a decade of accumulating timber,” writes Cox, leading to declarations of independence. The real revolution Americans experienced was in thinking rather than fighting.

Here’s my common sense: It is absolute nonsense that women having equal pay and rights could hurt marriages. How? Women who want to be homemakers will not be forced to work. Teaching true history will not hurt white people; I and most white people I know will grapple with questions about our own commitment to what’s right and would we have been strong enough to act as an abolitionist? I don’t know anybody who identifies with slave-holders. If somebody does not want to accept equality and history of inequality, they don’t have to, but true history can still be taught in schools. If somebody doesn’t support the right to body autonomy for themselves, they don’t have to; nobody will ever force them to have an abortion and if they don’t want to make their own medical decisions, they can find some authority to hand responsibility over to. If somebody does not accept that our actions are destroying the earth, they are free to believe that. Yes, pollution regulation will change lives, but I wager that anybody who wants to pollute their home will still be able to do so. Nobody will have to love people they don’t love if others have the right to love who they love. You don’t have to believe what you don’t believe.

There is no loss for anybody if more people do better by telling the truth and having equal rights. The whole notion of consequent loss is nuts!

And it is on this belief in false equivalencies that this book’s history relies. As Cox writes about Trump’s attack on the Mueller investigation: “if he could get Americans to reject the truth and accept his lies about what had happened, they would be psychologically committed to him.” And this commitment has been expertly cultivated by a string of calculated lies, starting with something as seemingly stupid as inauguration crowd size, all the way up to saying a coup where people were killed and terrorized didn’t happen and insisting an election was stolen in the face of 60 courts and a Republican Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency in the United States Department of Homeland Security declaring there was no election fraud.

During Trump’s impeachment hearings over obstruction of justice and using the power of the presidency to try to steal an election, the Republicans used their majority to acquit, but Cox writes, “. . . the forty-eight senators who voted to convict Trump represented eighteen million more Americans than the fifty-two Republicans who voted to acquit. It was increasingly obvious that a minority was gaming the system against the majority and that their only hope of retaining power was to repress that majority.

This is where we are. But Heather Cox Richardson doesn’t leave us there.

Part 3: Reclaiming America begins with a rousing question about whether equality and government by consent is even possible, and ends with a fanfare of all the marginalized individuals who believe in and fight for a more perfect union. It is community, she points out, that is the real backbone of this country: rather than lone cowboys riding the range, it was the barn-raising communities and everybody working together to make life possible. “Working together, across racial lines, ethnic lines, gender lines, and age lines, was what enabled people to defend their rights against a small group of elites determined to keep control of the country.” This feels like an infusion of oxygen after the dire history in the first half of the book. And I welcomed beginning American history anew in this section, including not only white male founders, but everyone who was here, enumerating their accomplishments and participation in education and innovation, and above all, making vivid their fervid belief that with hard work, they could have the American dream—a belief that was and remains steadfast, despite the concurrent history of denial of their equal rights.

Now is not the first time our democracy has been in a fight for its life. In 1863, Cox writes, “. . . Americans had woken up. They realized that the very nature of America was under attack. They were divided among themselves [over slavery] and at first they didn’t really know how to fight back, but ordinary people quickly came to pitch in however they could. . . . Once awake, they found the strength of their majority.”

I believe most of us want a democracy. I believe we are a huge majority—as proved by the 7 million more voters who voted to preserve it rather than support an autocrat in the last election. All that is required to preserve democracy is for the majority to wake up, use common sense, and refuse to mindlessly allow our freedom to be stolen by those who wish to divide us into warring factions based on bogus zero-sum concepts. Heather Cox Richardson has certainly done her part to sound an alarm clock."*

*Review by:Betsy Robinson
Author ---9 books






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Comments on "Heather Cox Richardson's new book - "DEMOCRACY AWAKENING"":

  1. by HatetheSwamp on December 5, 2023 9:17 am

    Glad you crawled out from under your 10/7 rock, there, isle.

    No doubt! When Heather's a scholar she da bomb. As a preacher of hate?, not so much.


  2. by Donna on December 5, 2023 10:09 am

    Looks like an interesting book. I'll probably never read it though.

    Here's another book that looks interesting which I'll probably never read:

    PREQUEL: An American Fight Against Fascism

    #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Rachel Maddow traces the fight to preserve American democracy back to World War II, when a handful of committed public servants and brave private citizens thwarted far-right plotters trying to steer our nation toward an alliance with the Nazis.

    “A ripping read—well rendered, fast-paced and delivered with the same punch and assurance that she brings to a broadcast. . . . The parallels to the present day are strong, even startling.”—The New York Times (Editors’ Choice)

    Inspired by her research for the hit podcast Ultra, Rachel Maddow charts the rise of a wild American strain of authoritarianism that has been alive on the far-right edge of our politics for the better part of a century. Before and even after our troops had begun fighting abroad in World War II, a clandestine network flooded the country with disinformation aimed at sapping the strength of the U.S. war effort and persuading Americans that our natural alliance was with the Axis, not against it. It was a sophisticated and shockingly well-funded campaign to undermine democratic institutions, promote antisemitism, and destroy citizens’ confidence in their elected leaders, with the ultimate goal of overthrowing the U.S. government and installing authoritarian rule.

    That effort worked—tongue and groove—alongside an ultra-right paramilitary movement that stockpiled bombs and weapons and trained for mass murder and violent insurrection.

    At the same time, a handful of extraordinary activists and journalists were tracking the scheme, exposing it even as it was unfolding. In 1941 the U.S. Department of Justice finally made a frontal attack, identifying the key plotters, finding their backers, and prosecuting dozens in federal court.

    None of it went as planned.

    While the scheme has been remembered in history—if at all—as the work of fringe players, in reality it involved a large number of some of the country’s most influential elected officials. Their interference in law enforcement efforts against the plot is a dark story of the rule of law bending and then breaking under the weight of political intimidation.

    That failure of the legal system had consequences. The tentacles of that unslain beast have reached forward into our history for decades. But the heroic efforts of the activists, journalists, prosecutors, and regular citizens who sought to expose the insurrectionists also make for a deeply resonant, deeply relevant tale in our own disquieting times.





    amazon.com


  3. by islander on December 5, 2023 12:13 pm

    Donna,

    Sorry to hear that you probably won't be reading Heather's book. That's why I recommended it for "for anyone who loves to read and loves history, especially the history of our own nation", however I know that it is probably not for everyone.

    While Rachel is a very astute celebrity pundit, Heather is a true historian and her book fits in perfectly with what is discussed here.


  4. by HatetheSwamp on December 5, 2023 12:19 pm

    In your absence, isle, I have been keeping an eye on Heather's writings. As someone whose training is in history, I acknowledge that Heather is skilled as a scholar.

    She also possesses very strong political biases...as do we all here. I'd prefer her to write history and to nix the preaching...

    But, to give her her due. On history itself?, she's well worth reading.


  5. by Curt_Anderson on December 5, 2023 12:24 pm
    Isle,
    Heather Cox Richardson's book seems have come at the right time. It's unfortunate that the people who should read it probably won't (and I don't mean people like Donna).

    I expect that the upcoming presidential election will be a referendum on democracy. It will pit those of us who cherish democracy against those who favor authoritarianism/populism.


  6. by islander on December 5, 2023 1:35 pm

    "I expect that the upcoming presidential election will be a referendum on democracy. It will pit those of us who cherish democracy against those who favor authoritarianism/populism." ~ Curt

    I agree with you 100% Curt.

    In the Forward to her book, Heather starts with this:



    “America is at a crossroads. A country that once stood as the global symbol of democracy has been teetering on the brink of authoritarianism. How did this happen? Is the fall of democracy in the United States inevitable? And if not, how can we reclaim our democratic principles?

    This crisis in American democracy crept up on many of us. For generations of Americans, grainy news footage from World War II showing row upon row of Nazi soldiers goose-stepping in military parades tricked us into thinking that the Adolf Hitlers of the world arrive at the head of giant armies. So long as
    we didn’t see tanks in our streets, we imagined that democracy was secure. But in fact, Hitler’s rise to absolute power began with his consolidation of political influence to win 36.8 percent of the vote in 1932, which he parlayed into a deal to become German chancellor. The absolute dictatorship came
    afterward.[1]


    Democracies die more often through the ballot box than at gunpoint.

    But why would voters give away their power to autocrats who inevitably destroy their livelihoods and sometimes execute their neighbors?”

    

Heather answers that last question in the first two thirds of her book and I have to admit...the answer is pretty depressing, especially now, since we have been watching it happen once again. Sadly, here in our own country...right before our eyes. However, in the final chapter she offers us hope...Hence the name of her book, “Democracy Awakening”. It’s up to us, right here and now to make certain we choose the right path and prove that old saying wrong, “Those who do not know history's mistakes are doomed to repeat them, and those who do know and understand history are doomed to watch them repeat them”.


  7. by HatetheSwamp on December 5, 2023 3:11 pm

    It's hard for me to think of Swamp politics, as it has evolved in the US in the last, what? 60 years?, as democracy by any legitimate definition of the term.

    Bless her heart, Heather, apparently, hates the reality that the people who long for a nation that functions on Lincoln's "of the people, by the people and for the people" understanding of who the Founders envisioned have picked Trump as our last best hope.

    But, the Swamp ain't a democracy, as thoroughly as Heather wishes.


  8. by Curt_Anderson on December 5, 2023 6:01 pm
    It is sad to see how HtS has eagerly swallowed Trump's lies. It is sad because HtS represents millions of other gullible Americans who believe that there is no legitimate democracy in America. Trump has long claimed that our elections are rigged and our institutions (the courts, the FBI, the DOJ, the press, election officials, etc.) are all hopelessly corrupt. To make sure no entity is omitted from his vitriol, Trump has decried our "corrupt political establishment".

    Fascists use the same sort of language as Trump. They want their followers to distrust democratic institutions. Utmost importantly they want people to distrust the foundation of democracy: voting. They want their followers to believe that some nefarious "others" (immigrants, minorities, Democrats, RINOs, etc.) are responsible for election outcomes not to their liking.

    Kash Patel takes the words out of Joseph Goebbels' mouth...

    A New Trump Administration Will ‘Come After’ the Media, Says Kash Patel
    Donald Trump, who has already promised to use the Justice Department to “go after” his political adversaries, is expected to install Mr. Patel in a senior role if he returns to power.


    “We will go out and find the conspirators, not just in government but in the media,” Mr. Patel said. “Yes, we’re going to come after the people in the media who lied about American citizens, who helped Joe Biden rig presidential elections — we’re going to come after you. Whether it’s criminally or civilly, we’ll figure that out.” He added: “We’re actually going to use the Constitution to prosecute them for crimes they said we have always been guilty of but never have.”


    britannica.com
    nytimes.com


  9. by Indy! on December 5, 2023 7:10 pm

    Heather Cox is a pretty good low key porn name. 🤔


  10. by HatetheSwamp on December 6, 2023 2:29 am

    Gang,

    I found this brief review which strikes me as reflecting what I know about Heather from isle's links in the past, as well as from my own reading.

    *****

    "Recommend You Read this Book if You Hate what America Has Been and Is Today"

    There were many times while I was reading this book when I wanted to stop and move on. But I powered through with the hope that the author would enumerate the antidotes to what she sees ails America but it was not forthcoming. I am not a believer that America is perfect or ever will be but I cannot think of a better country in the world that I would rather be a citizen of than the US. I recommend you read this book if you hate America or white males or Republicans.


    And that's it. Heather is an all but perfect match for the preferences and prejudices that isle takes with him to every moment of his life. And, Heather and he are not alone...Sadly.

    Again, when Heather does history she's fine. But, she ain't much of a preacher.


  11. by HatetheSwamp on December 6, 2023 2:58 am

    It is sad to see how HtS has eagerly swallowed Trump's lies.

    Nuh uh.

    My comment had nuthin to do with Trump.

    Back in 016, I'd left SS for nearly a year, but after I voted for Trump...with great chagrin...I came back to post that I hurled when I cast my vote.

    What I found upon my return was the TrumpHate I expected as well as...

    ...disgusting and sanctimonious hate of the mommies and daddies and nannas and pappaps who turned to Trump because they were fed up with the dysfunction and corruption that has become American politics.

    Defending those people is why I've remained here.

    The review of Heather's book which I quoted earlier in this thread says it well:

    "I recommend you read this book if you hate America or white males or Republicans."

    The issue is that if you love the constitutional republic framed by our Founders and have respect for America's mommies and daddies and nannas and pappaps,...

    ...if you want this, again, to be Lincoln's nation, "of the people, by the people and for the people,..."

    ...you HatetheSwamp.

    As recent polls make plain, many do...many, many, many, many do...

    ...even if that means voting for Donald Trump.


  12. by Donna on December 6, 2023 7:02 am

    We love our country and we love democracy.



  13. by Ponderer on December 6, 2023 7:07 am

    "We love our country and we love democracy." -Donna


    If only that was something that Republicans could honestly say.




  14. by Donna on December 6, 2023 7:29 am

    They would "correct" me and say we're a republic, and I would respond, "Fine then - We love our country and our republic.




  15. by Ponderer on December 6, 2023 9:00 am

    And they couldn't say that either.


  16. by HatetheSwamp on December 6, 2023 9:09 am

    We love our country and we love democracy.

    You love some vague, warm, fuzzy myth of American democracy. They love the constitutional republic framed by our Founders. You love the Swamp. They love Lincoln's vision of a nation "of the people, by the people and for the people."

    I'd rather be they than you. Baha.


  17. by islander on December 6, 2023 2:03 pm
    As you read Heather’s Democracy Awakening, one of the things that becomes blatantly obvious if one didn’t realize it before or hadn’t read her other book, “How the South Won The War”, is that the war of ideologies between the United States and the Confederacy is ongoing. The Confederates haven’t actually won the war.

    .....yet...

    The Confederate’s lost the military battle, but the ideological war between the Confederates and the United States is ongoing. This is no surprise to those who know their history but one might think that the proliferation of the Confederate and Nazi flags that we’ve been witnessing in recent years would give them a hint or at least give them pause to reflect that the Confederate’s long standing slogan the south shall rise again is more than just a hope or a wish.

    

Whereas we are fully aware that we are not yet nor have we ever been a perfect Union, our ideals, what we are striving for, are those expressed in our Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” The ‘other side’s’ ideology was clearly expressed, as George Fitzhugh of Virginia wrote in 1857 “We do not agree with the authors of the Declaration of Independence, that governments ‘derive their just powers from the consent of the governed.” All governments must originate in force, and be continued by force. “There were eighteen thousand people in his county and only twelve hundred could vote,” he said, “but we twelve hundred [the elite] . . . never asked and never intend to ask the consent of the sixteen thousand eight hundred whom we govern.”[7]

    

These are still the sentiments of the State’s rights/Constitutionalists Confederates of today. They now openly denigrate Democracy and refuse to acknowledge that we are a Democratic Republic by leaving out the word Democratic. And they try to insist that we should interpret the Constitution as it was written and intended by our founders...Our founders did not believe we, all of us, are or should be treated equally under the law. Therefore women, minorities, the poor were not entitled to be treated equally under the Constitution and it is up to the elites in each state to decide which American citizens will be be allowed those rights.


  18. by oldedude on December 6, 2023 2:30 pm
    These are still the sentiments of the State’s rights/Constitutionalists Confederates of today. They now openly denigrate Democracy and refuse to acknowledge that we are a Democratic Republic by leaving out the word Democratic.

    1 We're a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC. A "democratic republic" is an oxymoron. If you're going to correct yourself, please know what you're talking about.

    2. You need to read the Constitution. A. The Federal Government has ENUMERATED RIGHTS. That means those are outlined in the Constitution you're referencing. The founders explicitly separated the powers the way they did. Don't like it? Go to canada, you're close enough.

    3. Democratic Republic is only used in shitholes that have (generally) a Marxist government or a Dictatorship.
    i.e.
    Democratic Republic of Congo
    Democratic People's Republic of Korea
    German Democratic Republic (East Germany) (Now part of Federal Republic of Germany)
    Somali Democratic Republic
    Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam), the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen)
    Democratic Republic of Afghanistan
    People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia


  19. by Ponderer on December 6, 2023 2:41 pm

    We can be a democratic republic without it being in our name, olde dude.

    I mean for fucksake... We're called the "United States"! That's pretty much the opposite of what we are in reality.



  20. by HatetheSwamp on December 6, 2023 2:50 pm

    isle,

    Heather makes a decent point but she won't...can't...acknowledge the abuses of FDRism and LBJism.

    What Heather won't own up to is that while, the Confederacy got it wrong... the Big Brotherism of today's Dem Party rapes the vision of the Framers in ways that are truly atrocious.


  21. by oldedude on December 6, 2023 2:55 pm
    So we're a shithole Marxist country. Got it. You shoulda moved to Congo. You'd be happier.

    And "democratic Republic" didn't come out until after WWII, when Russia started taking over a lot of Africa. It actually means something (like I said already). Like the Southern Babtist Convention, actually means something different than other Babtist churches. Same thing with Southern Methodists.


  22. by Ponderer on December 6, 2023 2:57 pm

    I love when you respond with things that are completely and totally asinine and/or irrelevant to anything I said.


  23. by Ponderer on December 6, 2023 2:59 pm

















    "the Big Brotherism of today's Dem Party rapes the vision of the Framers in ways that are truly atrocious." -Hate


    How so, Bill...?

















    This oughtta be good..... 😁


  24. by HatetheSwamp on December 6, 2023 3:55 pm

    po,

    Here's a quick, easy answer. Go on line. Google the Supreme Court's Dobbs Decision. Just skim, that's enuff...especially the punch line: "...the people and their elected representatives."

    Back in the day, it really was, "...endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness..." It really was "of the people, by the people and for the people."

    *****

    Before the sun set on DC on the day "that feckless dementia-ridden piece of crap" placed his hand on the Bible...he signed 19, as you'd say, EFFINExecutiveOrders...

    ...dictates. Which no voter voted for.

    This ain't your granddaddy's America.

    It's the place where Big Brother foists. Where mandates are enforced, where shutdowns run innocent, passive citizens' lives...as we've all experienced. Without votes being taken.

    It's a tragedy, but it's true that even the EFFINConfederacy envisioned an America more like the Framers framed than the dysfunctional, dictatorial Swamp we live in now.

    Thanks to recently appointed Supreme Court Justices, we're on our way back. But, we've a looooooooong way to go.


  25. by oldedude on December 6, 2023 4:08 pm
    I love when you respond with things that are completely and totally asinine and/or irrelevant to anything I said.
    Face it. It just wasn't the answer you wanted. I explained to indy "why" we weren't a "Democratic Republic" which you apparently chose not to read. So I mocked you. Then I explained. If you're so much of a snowflake to make stupid remarks on what you don't read, you shouldn't be here. I could see every once in a while, but it's a continual battle with you to peat, then repeat, then repeat, then repeat... and on and on it goes.


  26. by Ponderer on December 6, 2023 6:40 pm

    "Face it. It just wasn't the answer you wanted." -olde dude

    Well... why on earth would anyone want an answer that was asinine and irrelevant?

    You just don't make much sense a lot of the time od.


  27. by oldedude on December 6, 2023 9:14 pm
    Because they demand someone to agree with them. Nothing else.


  28. by islander on December 7, 2023 4:15 am

    Ponderer,

    As you can see, today’s Confederates, whose ideologies are identical to those traitors who tried to destroy our country 160 years ago, do tend to get extremely uncomfortable and agitated when democracy is mentioned in conjunction with our own country.


  29. by islander on December 7, 2023 4:20 am

    Meanwhile, when I look out my window on this beautiful Maine winter morning, I am more proud than ever of our Democracy simply knowing that we beat them before just as we will again which is why I fly my American flag !



  30. by HatetheSwamp on December 7, 2023 4:46 am

    As you can see, today’s Confederates, whose ideologies are identical to those traitors who tried to destroy our country 160 years ago...


    Identical!!!!!?

    C'mon man. Gimme a break. Don't even pretend that that's Heather's argument.

    pb said up front that Heather makes a strong point but, as po might say, EFFINidentical!!!!!?

    Try not to be someone who hates so fiercely that nuance becomes impossible.

    No, isle.

    It's Heather's insupportable identification of today's dysfunctional and corrupt Swamp with democracy that is her problem.

    Y'know, bud, people of character who can think can disagree without lying about each other.

    We've been trying to discourse thoughtfully here. You're welcome to give that a try.


  31. by oldedude on December 7, 2023 6:09 am
    muffylover- I am more proud than ever of our Democracy simply knowing that we beat them before just as we will again which is why I fly my American flag !

    Again, you don't live in a democracy, knucklehead. At least understand your system of government. You live in a CONSTITUTIONAL REPUBLIC. And yes, they are different, even though your media can't get it right. and you're too lazy to find out the difference.

    Just to enlighten you (et.al.) In a "democracy" all laws come from the citizens directly. Then all the citizens vote on all laws nation-wide. A "republic" votes for representatives to make the laws for them. So on the lowest basics, you're wrong.

    Are you sure you're not from the Ottawa area? I wish I could remember that guy's name. He kept insisting he knew our political system better than we did. I agreed with that in most cases on this site though. You among them. He kept saying that he knew our legal system better than columbia law school, which I cited often just to call him a fool. I dunno, I keep getting you two mixed up.

    You aren't another "artist" are you?

    Lead-I completely disagree with muffy's characterization. Now, it's those people that understand all the things the sheep don't about our government. They actually understand about muffy's hated "states rights." The one thing that separated us from the butt licking countries that chose a queen over themselves. Those are the countries you should move to. canada, austraila, NZ, among others.


  32. by HatetheSwamp on December 7, 2023 6:55 am

    OD,

    The import of isle's moaning is that he EFFINhates the Tenth Amendment...which is crucial in protecting our citizens from oppression by our government.

    Like many woke, white electric limousine lovin progressive Swampcultists, he seems to hate individual liberty.


  33. by Donna on December 7, 2023 7:06 am

    Oh God, another we live on a republic, not a democracy non-argument argument.

    Od, for the umteenth time, we all get that we live in a constitutional republic. Almost everyone calls it a democracy for short, because we have elections. Elections where we choose our reiresentatives. Everyone understands that. There are no democracies like the one you describe.



  34. by Indy! on December 7, 2023 7:57 am

    OD trying to teach a history class is like Hitler trying to teach a cooking class.


    Love it when the people who have probably never even been to the South try to wax poetic about who we are and what we believe. The Confederate flag (actually the Battle flag - not the Confederate flag - you guys don't even get that part) is not becoming more prevalent - it's disappearing from the general population into the farthest corners of the far right.


  35. by islander on December 7, 2023 10:23 am

    Oh God, another we live on a republic, not a democracy non-argument argument. ~ Donna

    I have to laugh when they do that, Donna !!!

    That's a bucket. True

    No it's not!! False

    It's a rusty bucket. True

    They'll go on and on like that as long as someone responds to them !! 🤣



  36. by HatetheSwamp on December 7, 2023 10:34 am

    Speaking only for pb, I don't believe you woke, whitey progressive Swampcultists... especially Donna, po and isle. I think you're lying.

    My sense, when you specifically avoid the reality that this is an EFFINconstitutionalrepublic and call the US a democracy, is that you're attempting to pretend away, not the fact that we are a republic, but that we are ruled by a CONSTITUTION.

    I have no idea why OD continues to make the point. But, it seems to me, that our WE THE PEOPLE document scares the bejeebers out of the three of you.

    "Of the people, by the people and for the people," BABY!


  37. by oldedude on December 7, 2023 11:21 am
    Oh God, another we live on a republic, not a democracy non-argument argument.

    Od, for the umteenth time, we all get that we live in a constitutional republic. Almost everyone calls it a democracy for short, because we have elections. Elections where we choose our reiresentatives. Everyone understands that.


    It's obvious that some of you don't understand the differences. So it's "faster"? to type out democracy, rather than republic? That doesn't make sense to me. And with the left making a huge deal about "words mean things," I would have thought the difference between them would actually mean something to you. I honestly think you understand it. So I'm sorry you're inconvenienced. Your wife and isle are a different story, because I honestly don't think they do.


  38. by oldedude on December 7, 2023 2:26 pm
    donna. case in point. muffy doesn't even know we're in a Republic. And she's the goto for many left-leaning sheeple that follow her blindly.


  39. by islander on December 8, 2023 6:58 am

    Looks like the point of the bucket analogy went right over the heads of the dynamic duo. 🤣

    Was the photo a picture of a bucket or a rusty bucket? LoL !!


  40. by oldedude on December 8, 2023 7:12 am
    Only for the ignorant, is a democracy the same as a Republic. You completely missed that. So did buffy. You would have thunk she'd get it correct if she's the world's DeFacto historian.


  41. by islander on December 8, 2023 8:17 am

    How about if we make the bucket analogy even easier for the dynamic duo. It still seems to be WAY over their head. Let’s see if either of them can get it this time.

    If it’s too mystifying for them and they still can’t get it...I guess we'll just have to say; “Oh well”



    Bucket = Republic

    Rust = democractic

    Now we’ll add one more.

    Water = federal


    Now comes the really hard questions: 


    Is the photo a picture of a bucket (republic)?
    Is the photo a picture of a rusty bucket (democratic republic)?

    Is the photo a picture of a rusty bucket full of water (democratic federal republic) ?

    This is the toughest question of all for them...If it’s rusty and full of water, is it still a bucket?


  42. by oldedude on December 8, 2023 8:20 am
    Reclaiming America begins with a rousing question about whether equality and government by consent is even possible, and ends with a fanfare of all the marginalized individuals who believe in and fight for a more perfect union.

    So muffy is saying that since equity and Government aren't possible together, we choose equity and damned the government. We'll just have a new nation.

    Equality is much different than equity. Equity is what will destroy a nation. I'll agree with donna on this. For generations we were under an equity system. So now, she wants is to reverse that and everyone finds a niche for them to identify with and damned everyone else! Everyone else is your enemy. If you're a chosen one, you can show your hatred like the KKK did. It was a crime and a sin then (which I agree with), but it won't be a crime or a sin now (look at the antisemites).

    Genocide against the native Americans was evil (still agreeing with that statement), but genocide against Jews is okay. So now the left is agreeing with the Neo Nazis. They need to be extinguished from the earth. It's okay. As Hitler said, the world needs to be rid of them. I don't accept that at all. For any group.

    This is nothing but a NWO racism. Nothing more. Equity digs us deeper into chaos and not getting the right person for the right job. Equality does that.


  43. by oldedude on December 8, 2023 8:28 am
    Sorry, muffy did say equality.


  44. by Donna on December 8, 2023 8:35 am

    olde dude: It sounds better to say "I believe in democracy" than "I believe in constitutional republic". Republicans and Democrats alike have been referring to our system of government as a democracy since the founding of our country. It's only been in recent years that Republicans started making a stink about it.

    Btw...

    A statement from 13 presidential centers

    The unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, as stated in the Declaration of Independence, are principles that bind us together as Americans. They have enabled the United States to strive toward a more perfect union, even when we have not always lived up to those ideals.

    As a diverse nation of people with different backgrounds and beliefs, democracy holds us together. We are a country rooted in the rule of law, where the protection of the rights of all people is paramount. At the same time, we live among our fellow citizens, underscoring the importance of compassion, tolerance, pluralism, and respect for others.

    We, the undersigned, represent a wide range of views across a breadth of issues. We recognize that these views can exist peaceably side by side when rooted in the principles of democracy. Debate and disagreement are central features in a healthy democracy. Civility and respect in political discourse, whether in an election year or otherwise, are essential.

    Americans have a strong interest in supporting democratic movements and respect for human rights around the world because free societies elsewhere contribute to our own security and prosperity here at home. But that interest is undermined when others see our own house in disarray. The world will not wait for us to address our problems, so we must both continue to strive toward a more perfect union and help those abroad looking for U.S. leadership.

    Each of us has a role to play and responsibilities to uphold. Our elected officials must lead by example and govern effectively in ways that deliver for the American people. This, in turn, will help to restore trust in public service. The rest of us must engage in civil dialogue; respect democratic institutions and rights; uphold safe, secure, and accessible elections; and contribute to local, state, or national improvement.

    By signing this statement, we reaffirm our commitment to the principles of democracy undergirding this great nation, protecting our freedom, and respecting our fellow citizens. When united by these convictions, America is stronger as a country and an inspiration for others.

    Obama Foundation

    George W. Bush Presidential Center

    Clinton Foundation

    George & Barbara Bush Foundation

    The Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute

    The Carter Center

    Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation

    Richard Nixon Foundation

    LBJ Foundation

    John F. Kennedy Library Foundation

    Truman Library Institute

    Roosevelt Institute

    Hoover Presidential Foundation


    bushcenter.org


  45. by HatetheSwamp on December 8, 2023 9:33 am

    What I enjoy about this exchange with our woke, white electric limousine lovin progressive Swampcult Neo Neo-Nazis is them sayin, "I misspoke and it's YOUR fault."

    Baha!


  46. by oldedude on December 8, 2023 3:40 pm
    olde dude: It sounds better to say "I believe in democracy" than "I believe in constitutional republic". Republicans and Democrats alike have been referring to our system of government as a democracy since the founding of our country. It's only been in recent years that Republicans started making a stink about it.

    In the sixth grade, (in 1960's) I learned the difference. I learned WHY it was different and why our constitution was written in such a way. It makes a difference.

    I know isle doesn't like when I call cox "muffy" But it's just a word and it doesn't matter, right? If I call you Donald, that's just a word, right? No big deal. Harmless because you want it a different way. Kind of like the word Murder and "killed." two very different words that mean different things.

    Actually knowing your own language is important.


  47. by islander on December 9, 2023 6:52 am

    "I know isle doesn't like when I call cox "muffy"

    LoL !! I was always wondering who olddude was referring to when said muffy !

    To be honest, whenever I read his posts the first picture that comes to mind is; olddude sounds just like the fearsome Black Knight 😁
    View Video


  48. by oldedude on December 9, 2023 7:33 am
    You couldn't figure that out from context? Did you go to an accredited high school?


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