Famous Quotations

     

“We suffer more in our imagination, than in reality.” -Seneca

“It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” -George Eliot

“Our life is what our thoughts make it.” -Marcus Aurelius

“Thinking is difficult; that’s why most people judge.” -Carl Jung

“Care about what others think, and you’ll always be their prisoner.” – Lao Tzu

“A fool is known by speech, and a wise man by silence.” -Pythagoras

“If you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room.” -Confucius

“The quieter you become, the more you’re able to hear.” -Rumi

“The wisdom of the ancients isn’t meant to be admired; it’s meant to be lived. Knowledge means nothing without practice.” -Stoicism    

“What are you gonna do?” -Bertha Brown

 

"It is true: the American public does not like Trump"

 

If you watched the president’s address on Wednesday, you know it was less a speech than it was a harangue — an unbroken stream of angry shouting, as Donald Trump berated the American people for its ingratitude. “One year ago, our country was dead. We were absolutely dead,” Trump said. “Now we’re the hottest country anywhere in the world.” He might have added, “so why don’t you people like me?”

It is true: the American public does not like Trump, his administration or his agenda. A solid majority of all Americans disapprove of his job performance. They disapprove of his handling of trade and immigration. 

They especially disapprove of his handling of jobs and the economy. In a recent Reuters/Ipsos survey, 33 percent of Americans said that they approved of the president’s handling of “the economy” and only 27 percent approved of his handling of the “cost of living.” 

Majorities of Americans say that Trump’s policies have made the economy worse, and most voters hold the president responsible for declining economic conditions.

Eleven months ago, Trump was triumphant — a conquering hero who would reshape the nation in his image. He would trample the opposition, punish his enemies and make America MAGA for good.

In their pursuit of power, Trump and his allies have done a lot of damage to the United States, and the world. But as this year comes to an end, I think it’s clear that they’ve reached the limits of what they can accomplish through brute force alone. 

More important, Trump’s attempt to consolidate authoritarian power has inspired a large and ferocious backlash, from mass protests and organized efforts to stymie his most draconian plans to election results that show a voting public ready for change.

The 2024 presidential election wasn’t a plebiscite in favor of regime change; it was just a vote over the choice of chief magistrate. And when Americans put Trump back in office, they expected him to turn the page back to the pre-pandemic status quo, not make the country his personal fief. 

A more able president would recalibrate, take control of his administration and try to salvage what is left of his standing before he loses the trust of everyone but his most devoted followers. Trump is not an able president.

He interrupted prime time television to yell at the American people this week because he does not know what to do besides yell. He can’t convince and he can’t persuade and so he demands, in the hope that he can browbeat the public into giving him the praise he thinks he deserves.

I think he’ll find that this isn’t going to work.

-Jamelle Bouie, NY Times

I Miss You!

     
John E. (1895 - 1976)   
Johnny B. (1961 - 1987)
Bertha B. (1896 - 1987)        
Dorothy B. (1925 - 1990)
Bob B. (1942 - 1994) 
David B. (1922 - 2013) 
Jim L. (1951 - 2018)
Rich Z. (1950 - 2021) 
Brian B. (1947 - 2023)
Terry J. (1948 - 2023)
Joe O. (1951 - 2024)
Binoy M. (1959 – 2025)

    

"Jack Smith calmly destroys Trump’s “witch hunt” fantasy in testimony before Congress"

 

Yesterday, Jack Smith walked into the lion’s den of a Republican-controlled House Judiciary Committee meeting and calmly laid out Trump’s crimes for the world to see. Behind closed doors on Capitol Hill, former Special Prosecutor Jack Smith did what Republicans desperately hoped he wouldn’t: he methodically, unapologetically, and calmly reminded them why Donald Trump was charged in the first place — and why no amount of political revenge can erase the facts.

In an hours-long deposition before the Committee, the former special counsel made one thing crystal clear: Trump is responsible for Trump actions. Not Joe Biden. Not Democrats. Not the “deep state.” Just Trump. “The decision to bring charges against President Trump was mine,” Smith told lawmakers, “But the basis for those charges rests entirely with President Trump and his actions.” Translation: if Trump didn’t want indictments, he shouldn’t have committed the crime (allegedly).

Smith didn’t hedge. He didn’t flinch. He said his team uncovered evidence proving “beyond a reasonable doubt” that Trump engaged in a criminal scheme to overturn the 2020 election and block the lawful transfer of power — a stunning reminder of just how close the country came to losing its democracy. On the classified documents case, Smith said the evidence was “powerful” and that Trump “repeatedly tried to obstruct justice.” Not misplaced papers. Not a misunderstanding. Obstruction.

And for Republicans screaming “witch hunt,” Smith torched that talking point too. He said he would have brought the same charges if Trump were a Democrat or a Republican. Facts and law, not politics, guided the investigation — a concept that seems increasingly foreign to today’s GOP. 

Smith also defended his team’s decision to seek phone records from Republican lawmakers, explaining that Trump and his allies were calling members of Congress to further their criminal scheme to delay certification. “I didn’t choose those Members,” Smith said. “President Trump did.” That line alone should haunt every lawmaker in the room.

Meanwhile, Republicans are openly targeting Smith himself, cheering on an unprecedented retaliation campaign that has included sanctions against his law firm and calls for his prosecution — all because he dared to apply the law to a powerful man. Smith wanted to testify publicly. Jim Jordan said no. Transparency is dangerous when the truth cuts this deep.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), a member of the House Judiciary Committee, called the deposition “boring,” but that’s because in Jack Smith’s hands the facts don’t scream — they indict. Jack Smith walked into a hostile room knowing the hunters were circling. And instead of blinking, he calmly reminded them: the evidence speaks for itself.

We can only hope that Donald Trump will someday face justice for the crimes that the former Special Prosecutor so meticulously detailed. Whether that happens while he’s still alive, given his apparently dubious medical conditions, remains to be seen.

-Occupy Democrats

"The powerful figures who rolled over and played dead, when they surely could have defended themselves, democracy, vulnerable Americans, and civil society with just a modicum of courage"

Worst of News Outlets: Of all the legacy outlets to turn tail, none exceeded CBS in its utter forfeiture of moral authority and journalistic principles. Arguably the worst of the media “settlements” (more like payoffs to a mobster threatening to burn down their business) was CBS’s payment of $16 million in July for editing its 60 Minutes interview with Kamala Harris, delivered apparently to grease the skids for a major merger between Paramount and Skydance. There was no basis for liability here; its owners’ unwillingness to defend their premier show’s journalistic integrity should have the Murrow boys spinning in their graves. Their subsequent hiring of the manifestly unqualified and unserious Bari Weiss—a demagogic columnist foreign to a newsroom—seemed akin to tapping professional suck-up Pete Hegseth to run the Pentagon. She promptly embarrassed herself and tarnished the network’s reputation. Then, to top it all off, CBS conducted a softball interview with Trump that allowed him to spew falsehoods with virtually no pushback—which the network then edited.

Worst of Law Firms: It’s hard to remember back to March, but one of the country’s most progressive minded law firms, Paul Weiss, was among the first to cave to Trump’s bullying by executive order. Agreeing to do Trump’s work pro bono and reject DEI principles, it abandoned the principles that had long guided the firm, horrifying its founder’s family. Worse, it set the example for a slew of other firms to roll over. There was a silver lining: it lost clients and attorneys who prioritized integrity. It might have been a tad embarrassed when other firms chose to fight back rather than cave—or when the D.C. bar recently suggested that the sort of deal it struck raised legal ethics concerns.

Worst of Universities: Among the ranks of higher education, Columbia was an early appeaser, agreeing in March to a list of demands that sacrificed academic independence and promised legal action against rowdy albeit legitimate demonstrators in order to reinstate its suspended funding. Trump predictably came back for another pound of flesh in July, among other things, settling civil rights lawsuits arising out of student protests over Gaza.

Worst of Mayors: America is fortunate to have many diligent, tough mayors in cities Trump invaded (e.g., Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland). D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser was not among them. She distinguished herself as an eager collaborator with Trump’s military invasion of the district. She welcomed the “oversight,” agreed to extend the “cooperation,” and failed to immediately seek court redress. (Fortunately, its attorney general did.) Sure, D.C. is in a different posture than actual states, but every city and state had something to lose by standing up to Trump; only she capitulated without a fight. At least she announced she will not seek a 4^th term.

Worst of Media Companies: Disney/ABC blew it twice since Trump’s reelection. First, last December, when it settled a specious lawsuit for $15M concerning George Stephanopoulos paraphrasing U.S. District Court Judge Lewis Kaplan’s ruling in Trump’s sexual assault trial. Then, in 2025, it yanked Jimmy Kimmel off the air for comments regarding Charlie Kirk after FCC chairman Brendan Carr threatened its affiliates. Only a consumer boycott and vociferous outrage from unions, Hollywood celebrities, and politicians nationwide persuaded the network to return Kimmel to the air.

Worst of Governors: In the annals of squeamish governors unwilling to resist Trump’s demands, none showed more fervor for Trump’s authoritarian enterprise than Texas Governor Greg Abbott. Send national guard troops to another state? Sure! Re-redistrict this summer at Trump’s whim over the objections of even his own party? Yup! Next, harass the Democratic lawmakers who broke quorum? You bet. No state has done more to cooperate with Trump’s cruel, counterproductive, and often illegal attack on immigrants.

Worst of Silicon Valley: Never have such wealthy men so prostrated themselves for so little gain at the feet of a faux autocrat. Wrecking the Washington Post, forking over money for his inauguration, or slobbering over him at the White House, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and other tech billionaires reminded us that character does not go hand in hand with financial success. But it never ends: Many of these same figures had their companies turn over undisclosed sums for the monstrous new White House ballroom. This category frankly is too competitive to single out just one of them.

Worst Political Oxymoron: “Moderate Republicans” in Congress are as real as unicorns. From the early days of the regime, quislings such as Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La) voted to confirm RFK, Jr., to take over at HHS, Sens. Joni Ernst and Thom Tillis gave thumbs up to Pete Hegseth, and Susan Collins and Lisa Murkowski confirmed the likes of Pam Bondi. And of course, there was no Trump policy so heinous (e.g., slashing Medicaid, unilaterally dismantling the federal government, tax cuts for billionaires, an inhumane anti-immigrant onslaught) that they could bestir themselves to block it. Murkowski took perhaps the most destructive and politically dumb vote of her career in signing onto the big ugly bill.

Worst of Corporate DEI cowards: Companies ranging from Target to IBM to Goldman Sachs were quick to ditch DEI in the face of MAGA threats, or fear of retribution. (In response, consumers launched a highly effective boycott against Target.) Walmart, Meta, and Amazon have joined the herd. Not all companies have capitulated to MAGA bullies. 

As NPR reported: Some big companies, including Costco and Delta Air Lines, are publicly defending their DEI initiatives (and the language they use to discuss them). Investors in Apple, Levi’s, and others have shrugged off anti-DEI shareholder proposals this spring. As with universities and law firms, the ability of some leaders to resist the MAGA vendetta against DEI only revealed how unnecessarily short-sided were those who cowered in the face of Trump invectives.

Worst of Democratic Lawmakers: There was no need nor excuse for eight Senate Democrats (one independent who caucuses with Democrats) to cave as they did on the shutdown. In return, they got only a fig-leaf—a laughable vote only in the Senate on extension of ACA credits. Even worse, they blessed insertion of an entirely corrupt piece of legislation trickery that “award senators hundreds of thousands of dollars for having their phone records collected without their knowledge as part of a Biden-era investigation.” The investigation concerned Jan 6. The phone records were obtained with a judicial warrant. This is a scam, one blessed by these eight: Senators Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.), Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Tim Kaine (D-Va.), John Fetterman (D-Pa.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Angus King (I-Maine). Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) should not escape blame for allowing this to unfold. He lacks what it takes to lead in this moment. These 9 senators’ collective foolishness and fecklessness in getting fleeced is bad enough; their willingness to fleece the taxpayers on behalf of MAGA senators is unforgivable. None should seek office ever again.

-Jennifer Rubin, The Contrarian is reader-supported. To receive new posts, enable our work, help with litigation efforts, and keep this opposition movement engaged into next year and beyond, please joining our active community as paid subscriber.

 

Why Trump Is a Continuous Threat to Our Democracy

Consider his sociopathic bullying, his autocratic abuse of presidential power, his constitutional ignorance, his lawless demagoguery, his pathological narcissism, his grandiose delusions, his malignant arrogance, his felonious behavior, his moral relativism, his warlike imperialism, his perfidious nationalism, his hateful racism, his white nationalism, his infectious nihilism, his outrageous iconoclasm, his ruthless competition, his puerile dereliction, his embarrassing idiocy, his provocative transgressions, his mocking disrespect, his impetuous vulgarity, his belligerent intimidation, his incessant lying, his conspiratorial gaslighting, his obsessive vindictiveness, his hypocritical cowardice, his compulsive xenophobia, his callous misogyny, his sexual predation, his insufferable bigotry, his disgusting buffoonery, his histrionic rallying, his seditious actions, his obstruction of justice and concealment, his dangerous authoritarianism, his anti-social personality disorder, and his solipsistic world... .

Yale Historian Warns Trump Is Putting US on Path to World War III

 

Yale historian Greg Grandin believes that President Donald Trump’s foreign policy is putting the US on a dangerous course that could lead to a new world war.

Writing in The New York Times on Monday, Grandin argued that the Trump administration seems determined to throw out the US-led international order that has been in place since World War II. In its place, Grandin said, is “a vision of the world carved up into garrisoned spheres of competing influence,” in which the US has undisputed control over the Western Hemisphere.

As evidence, he pointed to the Trump White House’s recently published National Security Strategy that called for reviving the so-called Monroe Doctrine that in the past was used to justify US imperial aggression throughout Latin America, and that the Trump administration is using to justify its own military adventures in the region.

Among other things, Grandin said that the Trump administration has been carrying out military strikes against purported drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean and the Pacific Ocean, and has also been “meddling in the internal politics of Brazil, Argentina, and Honduras, issuing scattershot threats against Colombia and Mexico, menacing Cuba and Nicaragua, increasing its influence over the Panama Canal, and seizing an oil tanker off the coast of Venezuela.”

Most ominously, Grandin said, is how the US Department of Defense has been “carrying out a military buildup in the Caribbean that is all but unprecedented in its scale and concentration of firepower, seemingly aimed at effecting regime change in Venezuela.”

A large problem with dividing the globe into spheres controlled by major powers, Grandin continued, is that these powers inevitably come into violent conflict with one another. Citing past statements and actions by the British Empire, Imperial Japan, and Nazi Germany, Grandin argued that “as the world marched into a second global war, many of its belligerents did so citing the Monroe Doctrine.”

This dynamic is particularly dangerous in the case of Trump, who, according to Grandin, sees Latin America “as a theater of global rivalry, a place to extract resources, secure commodity chains, establish bulwarks of national security, fight the drug war, limit Chinese influence, and end migration.”

The result of this policy shift, Grandin concluded, “will most likely be more confrontation, more brinkmanship, more war.”

-Brad Reed, Common Dreams