Country will not be safer and more Americans will die because of inspireed hate caused by this moronic act by the President of the United States
26
I went to march last week in Charlotte NC and it was an amazing group of women and men and children all determined to show the world that there are still people in the United States that care deeply about Human Rights.
I find this current regime that is office downright scary. And it is a regime. He may have won the presidency legally with electoral votes but he can never, ever claim the popular vote.
He can give out as many "alternative facts" as he likes, but you can tell in his own so-called heart he doesn't believe them, because if he did, he wouldn't keep repeating his "alternative facts" over and over. Like the scarecrow and the tin man in "The Wizard of OZ" he really needs a brain and a heart. Congress, like the cowardly lion, really needs some courage.
There are many stories like the stories of the women in this article in the United States. I applaud them all because unless you are a Native American you are the daughters and sons of immigrants.
And if America isn't already great, why do so many people want to immigrate here?
I find this current regime that is office downright scary. And it is a regime. He may have won the presidency legally with electoral votes but he can never, ever claim the popular vote.
He can give out as many "alternative facts" as he likes, but you can tell in his own so-called heart he doesn't believe them, because if he did, he wouldn't keep repeating his "alternative facts" over and over. Like the scarecrow and the tin man in "The Wizard of OZ" he really needs a brain and a heart. Congress, like the cowardly lion, really needs some courage.
There are many stories like the stories of the women in this article in the United States. I applaud them all because unless you are a Native American you are the daughters and sons of immigrants.
And if America isn't already great, why do so many people want to immigrate here?
25
I am incredibly proud of these three sisters and all the women who marched. I am prouder still of the people in cities across the country who gathered themselves together on a Saturday afternoon and swarmed their airports' international terminals. I am proud of the ACLU, which I'm donating to this morning. This is a frightening time, but it is also a time of great possibility and hope. When I see how many of my fellow Americans step up and make their voices heard -- I am incredibly hopeful about who we are and what we're becoming. Thank you to these three sisters for being part of that.
26
"I watch this and feel heartsick about America, whose most fundamental values and claim to moral leadership are at stake." I am sorry about Bruni's "heartsickness" about America. Many Americans felt "heartsick" about America well before this election which was a vote against a hypocritical media supported by people who cherish their self-image of superiority over those who elected Trump. Reality is a many-sided diamond and coy liberals are merely one facet and not the whole picture.
9
Orderly dissent is the way to address the problem we have and these sisters were part of it. You go girls. This is our country and dissent is allowed unlike other countries around us.
The key take away from the Women's March was that we need to drain the swamp ourselves. All of the obstructionist Congressmen need to be replaced with those who can work across the aisle in a democratic way. That is the backbone of our Democracy. In two years there will be another election for some Senators and Congressmen. If yours is not speaking for you then speak for yourself and help vote him out.
Drain the swamp goes both ways.
The key take away from the Women's March was that we need to drain the swamp ourselves. All of the obstructionist Congressmen need to be replaced with those who can work across the aisle in a democratic way. That is the backbone of our Democracy. In two years there will be another election for some Senators and Congressmen. If yours is not speaking for you then speak for yourself and help vote him out.
Drain the swamp goes both ways.
15
I am in my early 60's and also have never marched, signed a petition, etc. But I woke up at 1:30, went to Pennsylvania Station for a 3 a.m. train to Washington, DC. Found my way near the stage where I was offered a hat with a note from someone in the Midwest who had knit it for us marchers. I stood there from 8 a.m. Till 2 p.m. Listening to speeches and then joined in the march to the White House.
I have lived my life with my Americanism a dormant, untapped resource through Viet Nam, Watergate and Clinton's sex-capades. But now I am stirred to action. I am concerned, afraid, angry and my direction to myself is to get educated. What power does an executive order have? When is Congressional approval required? I want to watch Fox News as well as read the NYTimes to understand what citizens are being told is the truth. I want to understand what organization to join. Which aligns most with my thinking. This new chapter in history requires effort...so that we know when we are being manipulated, so that we know the truth as best as we can decipher. I feel it is my duty to effort to understand the bigger picture. It is a contribution I can make to my country.
I have lived my life with my Americanism a dormant, untapped resource through Viet Nam, Watergate and Clinton's sex-capades. But now I am stirred to action. I am concerned, afraid, angry and my direction to myself is to get educated. What power does an executive order have? When is Congressional approval required? I want to watch Fox News as well as read the NYTimes to understand what citizens are being told is the truth. I want to understand what organization to join. Which aligns most with my thinking. This new chapter in history requires effort...so that we know when we are being manipulated, so that we know the truth as best as we can decipher. I feel it is my duty to effort to understand the bigger picture. It is a contribution I can make to my country.
33
Mr. Bruni, I loved this article of yours. We need diversity, now more than ever.
Starting with my wife, who is French, and my best friend, all the rest of my dearest friends are from Europe and Asia: from the Indian subcontinent, from the heights of the Himalayas, from Tibet and Bhutan. My American friends are dear to me, as well. Without these people in my life, I would be a lesser person, not nearly as connected to the world.
Thank you again.
Starting with my wife, who is French, and my best friend, all the rest of my dearest friends are from Europe and Asia: from the Indian subcontinent, from the heights of the Himalayas, from Tibet and Bhutan. My American friends are dear to me, as well. Without these people in my life, I would be a lesser person, not nearly as connected to the world.
Thank you again.
13
Frank, your account of this 3 brave women are such an eye opener, especially the part when they found the messages left by Trump's racist, sexist,misogynist,homophobic,xenophobic or islamaphobic,deplorable followers who left very demeaning and racist comments about their trip to the women's march last Saturday.
Especially the one that said "Marching for Sharia law in U.S.A.", is so unAmerican that would've put George Washington and all other freedom fighters to shame saying "Is this what we fought against the British forces for?"
For them religious freedom was the root cause why they moved to American soil for, as almost all the early settlers were persecuted in their homeland for observing or following a different scriptures than the one that the Kings and Queens followed those days.
And now as we can see we're standing at the crossroads of a great country which never victimized anyone that much like the way Trump and his followers are tormenting the Muslims in this country.
And what Trump did yesterday by banning Muslim people from 7 middle eastern countries while allowing the people of other faiths including Christians, is so unConstitutional which our Immigration and Nationalistic Act of 1965 made it abundantly clear by banning all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin, replacing the old prejudicial law of 1952 by stating "no person can be discriminated because of race,nationality et al," thus giving each country an equal shot at the quotas.
Especially the one that said "Marching for Sharia law in U.S.A.", is so unAmerican that would've put George Washington and all other freedom fighters to shame saying "Is this what we fought against the British forces for?"
For them religious freedom was the root cause why they moved to American soil for, as almost all the early settlers were persecuted in their homeland for observing or following a different scriptures than the one that the Kings and Queens followed those days.
And now as we can see we're standing at the crossroads of a great country which never victimized anyone that much like the way Trump and his followers are tormenting the Muslims in this country.
And what Trump did yesterday by banning Muslim people from 7 middle eastern countries while allowing the people of other faiths including Christians, is so unConstitutional which our Immigration and Nationalistic Act of 1965 made it abundantly clear by banning all discrimination against immigrants on the basis of national origin, replacing the old prejudicial law of 1952 by stating "no person can be discriminated because of race,nationality et al," thus giving each country an equal shot at the quotas.
14
Where are the honorable Republicans who support this honorable judge? Seems they like Paul Ryan have become turncoats. Shame on the Republican Party as a whole. We will remember come election time
18
Thanks, Frank, for introducing us to three remarkable women whose views of this Nation is closer to our founding principles than those of our bigoted president.
20
Mythili asks "Who talks that way?" Dictators talk that way. And we now have elected ourselves a doozy. An anti-intellectual buffoon that thinks he won a popularity contest that makes him the emperor of the world. He has no clothes. The world is of his imagination, unfettered by knowledge of history, philosophy, science or ethics. HIs presidency is of tweets and photo-ops. He can destroy people's lives with his signature!! What power!! Please understand that over half of the population despises him. I doubt if he will last, but, the guy standing in the wings, though ever so christian and pious, is worse.
34
I give thanks to the ACLU for fighting Trump on his racist ban. Any contributions we can make will continue to help take the trump administration to court.
16
It will take much more than marching in the street, no matter how many show up. As with the Viet Nam War, and Civil RIghts, it will take the Mainstream Media (MSM) to get on board fully and be persistent in laying bare the crimes against decency and democracy.
For too long now the MSM - almost wholly owned by a handful of people - has been muted, shackled in its own form of "fair & balanced", while the the rabid right wing media has no such restraint. You were not only muted during the primaries and election, you actually undercut the only candidate running who could have saved us from this Trumpian nightmare. It's time for atonement. Take the message surging up from the streets and amplify it and give it traction that cannot be silenced by the Big Lie Machine of Trump and the Republicans. These woman you praise have shown you the way, now have the courage to follow them.
For too long now the MSM - almost wholly owned by a handful of people - has been muted, shackled in its own form of "fair & balanced", while the the rabid right wing media has no such restraint. You were not only muted during the primaries and election, you actually undercut the only candidate running who could have saved us from this Trumpian nightmare. It's time for atonement. Take the message surging up from the streets and amplify it and give it traction that cannot be silenced by the Big Lie Machine of Trump and the Republicans. These woman you praise have shown you the way, now have the courage to follow them.
88
When my mother was in her last years she had a caregiver who came here, legally, from Zimbabwe. She was highly educated and making a good salary there but saw what was coming with Mugabe and got out early, with her children. She has never been able to find high paying work, but she does OK, and her gratitude is boundless.
She said to me recently (she is still close with our family) "You people in America dont realize what an amazing thing it is to live in a country where you can say what you want, and not be afraid of what might happen to you for speaking out. And you get to vote, and believe that your vote counts."
I am deeply afraid of what we are into now, but we have to just trust that the good people of this nation will hold on to what matters.
AND we have to speak out. I write to my representative and senators, and demonstrate when I can. And when the next election comes, I will get off my behind and get to work.
She said to me recently (she is still close with our family) "You people in America dont realize what an amazing thing it is to live in a country where you can say what you want, and not be afraid of what might happen to you for speaking out. And you get to vote, and believe that your vote counts."
I am deeply afraid of what we are into now, but we have to just trust that the good people of this nation will hold on to what matters.
AND we have to speak out. I write to my representative and senators, and demonstrate when I can. And when the next election comes, I will get off my behind and get to work.
74
Thank you. I was one of those men at the March. I am boring typical 59 year old guy, just a hard working physician from Maine, and have never "marched" before. But you are right. I am scared but also very motivated, and ready for action. I just finished sending fifty individual emails to politicians this morning. I am now planning my next trip to Washington and if there are no big organized marches I will just spend a weekend holding some sign in front of the White House. I am willing to be arrested to defeat this affront to our constitution and our humanity. I will do whatever it takes to save our country.
132
“E pluribus Trump”? I find it impossible to believe that in a country with so many decent, incredibly smart and capable individuals, none could be found to lead us. Instead, we found the worst amongst us without even trying - wealth and media exposure certainly played a roll. But that this obviously hateful man came out on top is ... words fail. Common sense fails!!!
"Working out very nicely," said the smug thug, as he gloats, dividing us and causing misery to the most vulnerable here and abroad.
"Working out very nicely," said the smug thug, as he gloats, dividing us and causing misery to the most vulnerable here and abroad.
9
The United States accepts over one million foreigners per year, each and every year, that are mostly "people of color" as legal permanent residents. America should not have to accept anyone, no matter what "color" who enters or remains in this country in violation of law, to do so would be racist. All of us no matter what "color" have to obey the law. Thank you Frank for another emotional "story" with no basis in fact!
5
These sisters will be among those that help take our country back from the hateful president we have let foolish people elect. They are perfect examples of what you can become no matter how you started. Thanks for sharing.
16
Thank you, Mr. Bruni.
Can always count on you to approach important subjects from a different and penetrating perspective.
The fact is, immigrants are the best thing that's ever happened to the USA, though from moment to moment, it's not always apparent.
Thanks again
Can always count on you to approach important subjects from a different and penetrating perspective.
The fact is, immigrants are the best thing that's ever happened to the USA, though from moment to moment, it's not always apparent.
Thanks again
6
One of the signs (and chants) at the Women’s March was: “Lock him up!” I was startled when I saw the sign and thankful for the chant.
10
Having read this interesting article, it rewarding to read the supportive Comments offered here. Thank you Commenters. In many cases you are our future.
10
I cheer these brave sisters on and I include myself in their ranks. Marching last weekend was a total game changer, and I continue to define myself as an American, something that I had not given much thought to before. My mother keeps telling me she is worried about the level of my anger, but I am seeing the same from almost everyone I know. Let's take our newfound patriotism and use it the way it should be used: for love of country, love for one another. The hatred stops here. I know we can stop this horrible agenda with our unity.
73
I would urge NYtimes and other independent publications to avoid getting 'played' by Trump. Bannon and co's real strategy is to create so much disorder and overwhelm the press that difficult to investigate issues like Trump's conflict of interest get put on the back burner. I have not heard about that issue in about a week. What about FBI investigation into Trump-Putin connection before the election? Do we know anything more about that?
Of course, Trump & team are in a rush to break as many things as possible while Trump's honeymoon with the Congress lasts. Things will turn sour soon if Trump keeps circumventing the Congress with his executive orders. Ryan & McConell are such hypocrites if they let Trump continue with his executive actions even though Republicsns have majority. Why hasn't NYT done a tough interview with McConnell recently? While you figure out how to deal with Trump, why can't you get tough on Ryan-McConell?
If Bannon calls you 'the opposition' it is a badge of honor you have earned. It says you are doing something right.
Of course, Trump & team are in a rush to break as many things as possible while Trump's honeymoon with the Congress lasts. Things will turn sour soon if Trump keeps circumventing the Congress with his executive orders. Ryan & McConell are such hypocrites if they let Trump continue with his executive actions even though Republicsns have majority. Why hasn't NYT done a tough interview with McConnell recently? While you figure out how to deal with Trump, why can't you get tough on Ryan-McConell?
If Bannon calls you 'the opposition' it is a badge of honor you have earned. It says you are doing something right.
18
Trump, and the subsequent reaction to his policies, have shown us the very worst of America and also, the very best.
6
He should be retitled "The Minister of Hate" and the presidents men "The Sons of Anarchy". Please Article 25 him before he does irreversible damage.
6
Where were these women marchers on November 8th? Astoundingly, 52% of white women voted for Trump.
6
These so-called values and claims to moral leadership.... Is that where in 2016, under president Obama's moral leadership, the US military dropped more than 26000 bombs on seven different countries? That's what american leadership has been for the last 15+ years.
If there is one silver lining to all this trump chaos, it just might be that the quite dishonest claim to US morality is finally exposed as a fraud. Bring it on.
If there is one silver lining to all this trump chaos, it just might be that the quite dishonest claim to US morality is finally exposed as a fraud. Bring it on.
2
Hi Frank. Thanks for this article. At a time when there is so much confusion regarding the election of Donald Trump, I also now see some hope. Why? Because this is a wake up call to all of us. I live in Arizona. We have two major colleges here; ASU (Arizona State University) and UofA (University of Arizona) and the battles we face when playing each other can sometimes be fierce with emotions. If you're supporting ASU, you can't believe that anyone would be for UofA and vise versa. This is the way I now look at Republican & Democrats. I'm ok with that, but, if a player from my team, let's say ASU, commits a crime, then that person should be prosecuted, and I would support that! The same has to now be done if someone from one of the political parties commits a crime regardless of how much you love your political party. Donald Trump has committed many "crimes". It's now time for the Trump supporters and the Republican Congress to recognize this and step up to the plate and take him out of the game, no matter the political consequences. As Americans, can we at least stand together on this? Can we really put America ahead of politics and focus on our future as citizens? I pray we can because if we don't, history just might repeat itself. At 78, I still remember the aftermath of the Holocaust.
9
What is so disappointing about this election cycle are the blog posts of Trump supporters---I know, we liberals are told we live in a east coast bubble of equality and opportunity, but truly, that other bubble of segregation and interment is unamerican.
11
This is a heartless, soulless administration .
To all the voters who thought Hillary Clinton was not good enough for them are facing the consequences when some of their loved one are in that vast detainees.
Democrats need to get a backbone and get on with their work to stand up to Republican Donald Trump.
To all the voters who thought Hillary Clinton was not good enough for them are facing the consequences when some of their loved one are in that vast detainees.
Democrats need to get a backbone and get on with their work to stand up to Republican Donald Trump.
19
Many read the NYT's around the world. Know that a great many American's oppose what Steve "massive chip on his shoulder" Bannon and Donald "banal, brash, narcisstic bully" Trump stand for. We understand they represent a huge embarrassment to our country and a danger to people everywhere. We will fight them at every turn. All countries have their share of bigoted populists and US is no different. This Presidency will have an asterisk next to it, and while it will not be visible in text, it will be emphatically understood going forward.
12
If 'President' Trump breaks the Republican Party into three separate cohorts:
1: The RepubiCons who wish to continue the Ailes Rush 'News' Team's Red Versus Blue, Winner-Take-All, Power 'Struggle',
2: The traditional Republicans grown from the constitutional seed of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Bush the Elder, etc,
3: And folks like me, born and bred Republicans, turned Independent because they're not ready to foreswear science, common sense or statistics, let alone the access of the general populace to excellent education, life sustaining healthcare and equal work opportunities,
the 'President' will have created an important moment in the Country's growth. Otherwise... well, the 'President' defines 'otherwise' more thoroughly at every public speaking opportunity.
1: The RepubiCons who wish to continue the Ailes Rush 'News' Team's Red Versus Blue, Winner-Take-All, Power 'Struggle',
2: The traditional Republicans grown from the constitutional seed of Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Eisenhower, Bush the Elder, etc,
3: And folks like me, born and bred Republicans, turned Independent because they're not ready to foreswear science, common sense or statistics, let alone the access of the general populace to excellent education, life sustaining healthcare and equal work opportunities,
the 'President' will have created an important moment in the Country's growth. Otherwise... well, the 'President' defines 'otherwise' more thoroughly at every public speaking opportunity.
7
The nasty internet got people on the Mall Saturday and to the airports yesterday and today. This is why the hates spews at us - theri fear. Do not give up. Stay linked; stay in the streets. Trump is operating under gangland rules and must be stopped.
10
I was born in NYC and have been a Democrat all my life. The only Republicans I have ever voted for are those in local office where the opponent was a teenager or they were unopposed. After my first 17 years, I lived almost exclusively in places that voted R or were mixed at best. The D's have blown it in all of those places. You can't just congratulate one another and think that you will control the electorate. So, we have DJT as President. Now the only way the citizens of the heartland can see the horror that is in the wind, is dependent upon the media. The biggest problem there is the lack of a trusted voice. Fragmented voices will not be successful. As LBJ remarked: "If I have lost Cronkite, I've lost Middle America." Walter Cronkite is gone and in his place we have Yahoo and FB and "fake news". Trump is the Frankenstein they have helped create.
6
This meme is making its way around social media:
"In one day, Trump got more fat women out walking than Michelle Obama did in eight years."
Hilarious! As Homer Simpson said: "Its funny because its true!"
Out with social niceties. In with the crude, brash and non-PC. It started with reality TV and has overtaken the internet. Now it is the new form of discourse in our politics and governing as well. Welcome to the Trumpian new world order!
"In one day, Trump got more fat women out walking than Michelle Obama did in eight years."
Hilarious! As Homer Simpson said: "Its funny because its true!"
Out with social niceties. In with the crude, brash and non-PC. It started with reality TV and has overtaken the internet. Now it is the new form of discourse in our politics and governing as well. Welcome to the Trumpian new world order!
2
Remember the great people of our nation; never forget the heroes and heroines who stood up for others, who believed in an America which was greater than the small-mindedness of some who wanted more, more, more for their own tribe or family no matter how it hurts others. In one week we have been threatened with the loss of what has taken hundreds of years to build. I am sickened at the pictures of those pseudo-religious Trump followers who stand tall behind him, grinning while he tries to deny someone else their human rights. UnAmerican. UnChristian. Inhuman.
15
Thank God for this honorable woman. One wonders what has become of honorable Republicans? Just last summer Rep Paul Ryan opposed Trump's ideas on immigrant bans and now he is all for it. He has sold himself to the devil--a sniveling coward.
20
One week down and 207 more weeks to go until this administration ends with the least accomplishments, lowest approval ratings, and most staff resignations of any previous presidency.
52
Trump's presidency will go down in the history books as an aberration...a dark period in our nation's evolution...a reversal of such proportion as to shock us back into doing a serious reevaluation of what it means to be an "American". In the end, we will learn from this experience, hopefully never to be repeated again.
5
Wow! These sisters freely expressed their opinion on social media and to Bruni, they went to the D.C. March and one called her two N.J. Senators protesting against two cabinet nominees.
If that's the level of engagement we can expect against Trump and his policies, I don't think the President and Congress have much to worry about.
To use a Trumpism - sad!
If that's the level of engagement we can expect against Trump and his policies, I don't think the President and Congress have much to worry about.
To use a Trumpism - sad!
3
It's my country, too, dammit! Having joined the Women's March in DC, I can attest at the universal politeness of the massive crowd. The internet may provide the anonymity for the Orange trolls lashing out at change but change is coming. If they wish to live apart in lily-white enclaves all packing heat, so be it. Have a good time. But do not ask for our help to paint your homes, tend your children, repair your appliances, maintain your lawns, pick your food or drive your limousines.
It is just as true as when Franklin said it: "Either we all hang together or we hang separately." Immigration and diversity in our country provide the spice keeping the American dish more interesting and palatable. Without it, it's all Soylent.
It is just as true as when Franklin said it: "Either we all hang together or we hang separately." Immigration and diversity in our country provide the spice keeping the American dish more interesting and palatable. Without it, it's all Soylent.
10
No time for silence. Every day find a way to publicly and privately say "NO" to the Trump administration and its henchmen in Congress. He is not America, and all must avoid confusing the two. RESIST.
8
Opposition to Trump must be 100 percent and full time.
There is no good in anything Trump does.
There is no good in anything Trump does.
9
Here we are 72 years, almost to the day, after the liberation of Auschwitz. I thought we had learned what we as Americans stood for, after so many millions around the world sacrificed their lives and livelihood. God knows we Americans have much work to do, but justice, freedom, responsibility, honesty, respect for others, discussion and compromise rather than innuendo, insistence upon facts, progress for the sake of future generations all have seemed to motivate us.
Until now. I am ashamed to have this government represent me. Washington is now the City of Foreigners. I cannot fathom how striving for a balanced budget, tax relief for those that don't need it, providing sufficient pain to incentivize people to harder work, whatever else they stand for, is supposed to guide and inspire anyone. For me these three women embody the American Dream; they are the ones we can look up to, not Republicans, certainly not Trump. They give me hope.
The post Eisenhower Republican platform, crystallized in Trump, is all the more Sad and sobering because we have seen it so many times before; in each generation we seem to crave something, someone else to blame for our own failures. They give it to us. Hate everyone and everything: pretty soon, the Leader is all you have left. Quite apart from the damage it does to today's targets, that is a slippery slope to despotism.
Until now. I am ashamed to have this government represent me. Washington is now the City of Foreigners. I cannot fathom how striving for a balanced budget, tax relief for those that don't need it, providing sufficient pain to incentivize people to harder work, whatever else they stand for, is supposed to guide and inspire anyone. For me these three women embody the American Dream; they are the ones we can look up to, not Republicans, certainly not Trump. They give me hope.
The post Eisenhower Republican platform, crystallized in Trump, is all the more Sad and sobering because we have seen it so many times before; in each generation we seem to crave something, someone else to blame for our own failures. They give it to us. Hate everyone and everything: pretty soon, the Leader is all you have left. Quite apart from the damage it does to today's targets, that is a slippery slope to despotism.
10
All we can do is hope that's Trumps declarations - in word and in deed - have as much effect on millions of Americans and bring them to action, as they inevitably will to the terrorist groups here and abroad who are even now using his latest words and Orders as fodder to recruit new boys into their organizations - proof that what they'd been saying about the West was right, to even the most skeptical potential troops.
It is so frustrating to not be able to yell out to them - NO. That's not us! That's not how we think, not what we believe! We don't hate Muslims or fear them.
We know that the crazed people who have killed and maimed in the name of your religion, the ridiculously tiny percentage, are no different that the crazed Americans who bomb Federal buildings or shoot indiscriminately in church Bible meetings - they are not us.
We refuse to carry the blame for the acts of insane Americans with guns or bombs on our collective shoulders, but many seem not to be able to make that distinction with others - those that do not look or worship as we do.
I apologize. But we are all not like that.
We - and again not near the majority of us - elected a crazy person.
Many of us are trying to are trying to figure out what to do about it. Andwe, too are fearful.
I know that is little comfort. I don't even know if you hear us over the scream of Trump's actions, but if you do - pass the word.
It is so frustrating to not be able to yell out to them - NO. That's not us! That's not how we think, not what we believe! We don't hate Muslims or fear them.
We know that the crazed people who have killed and maimed in the name of your religion, the ridiculously tiny percentage, are no different that the crazed Americans who bomb Federal buildings or shoot indiscriminately in church Bible meetings - they are not us.
We refuse to carry the blame for the acts of insane Americans with guns or bombs on our collective shoulders, but many seem not to be able to make that distinction with others - those that do not look or worship as we do.
I apologize. But we are all not like that.
We - and again not near the majority of us - elected a crazy person.
Many of us are trying to are trying to figure out what to do about it. Andwe, too are fearful.
I know that is little comfort. I don't even know if you hear us over the scream of Trump's actions, but if you do - pass the word.
9
Thank you, Frank, for this column that allows a little ray of sunshine into these dark days and brings to us heretofore non-marchers a sense of the solidarity we felt last weekend. For those who wonder what comes next and what the Democrats can do, I suggest that Pete Buttigieg as Chair of the DNC could be a reinvigorating force. You have written about him in the past and I believe he could harness the passion of the marchers into a winning strategy for the Party of the People.
2
President Trump has shown courage. If only 10 refugees out of 1000 turn out to be terrorists who hate America and believe its children should be slaughtered because they are "infidels" it is too great a risk to bare. We must first figure out what the hell is going on. Perhaps we need to appoint a commission. Democrats like those. Or maybe work study groups in the oval office at the White House... and then discussions about nothing...another Obama favorite. America must think of its people first. If it leads to a few innocent refugees being denied entry, so be it. We have a nation to preserve and protect. America is not a halfway house for the worlds displaced muslims. Egypt and Jordan have a lot of space. Send them there. The memories of 9-11 are still fresh in everyone's mind except the media, and since that day nothing has changed. Mr. Trump put his hand on the Bible and swore to God that he would protect and defend the American people. This is step one. That was on the ballot, baked in the cake as it were. Elections have consequences. Trump won. Get over it. The sins of the parents have always been cast upon their children. It is on these rogue muslim nations around the world that cannot figure out how to become civilized to the point where its people do not flee. America is not running a training program. They will never change. Been there done that.
3
Living in the Seattle area, I missed the DC march but knew that friends from here marched proudly in the other Washington. Frank Bruni's story of his 3 friends who took action for women and against the Lot of Trump distills the power of hundreds of thousands around the world into one family's experience. Cheers! Sadly and seemingly inevitably, the story also includes the Yahoo/Facebook/social media rants of the Lot of Trump fools that give Trump his base. He calls to them daily, he needs them and they feed him from the their deplorable basket of ignorance.
Oh, and hey Jan. I always thought that Chris Christy was the worst that NJ has to offer.
Oh, and hey Jan. I always thought that Chris Christy was the worst that NJ has to offer.
6
Everyone is talking and writing as if Trump is some sort of oddity. His power all derives from the electorate. I may not like the picture he presents but he is EXACTLY what his supporters vote for. Face it, Trump is what we've become.
I'm much more concerned about what the electorate has become than I am of Trump, himself.
I'm much more concerned about what the electorate has become than I am of Trump, himself.
10
We, all of us and not just women, need to say no to this grotesque old man who is impersonating the office of president of the United States. We cannot validate in any way the disrespect and downright evil that he and his handlers are doing to the country in their poorly thought out plans for abusing power. It has been a little over a week and it is already too much.
7
The news of President Trump’s unlawful airport treatment of visa holders and refugees is fresh, as is the news that federal judges have stayed immediate deportation orders. The news is also fresh of Speaker Paul Ryan’s cowardly submission to Trump’s anti-Muslim Executive Order which caused the airport lawlessness by our government.
There is growing fear of this increasingly out-of-control President just beginning his second week in office. In this dismal setting, Frank Bruni’s column about Meera, Maya and Mithili brings a smile to one’s face and renewed confidence that we will stem the rush towards authoritarian rule.
These three sisters are an inspiration. They are a reminder to a man who is very old and very white; someone born and raised in America; someone descended from three generations born and raised here.
The sisters remind me that diversity and immigrants like the parents of these delightful sisters are the strength and hope of our nation. These young women enrich us.
There is growing fear of this increasingly out-of-control President just beginning his second week in office. In this dismal setting, Frank Bruni’s column about Meera, Maya and Mithili brings a smile to one’s face and renewed confidence that we will stem the rush towards authoritarian rule.
These three sisters are an inspiration. They are a reminder to a man who is very old and very white; someone born and raised in America; someone descended from three generations born and raised here.
The sisters remind me that diversity and immigrants like the parents of these delightful sisters are the strength and hope of our nation. These young women enrich us.
6
One week in, it's worse than we could have imagined, even those of us who thought we were bracing for the tsunami. If you're paying attention, if you have a heart and a brain, you can't help being afraid.
But in the darkness, I take hope. I joined my sisters and brothers of all backgrounds, races, orientations, and genders at the National Mall last Saturday too. My partner and I--two middle-aged gay men--got over our 'we're in our 60s--we're too old to still be doing this' attitude and walked. Every sign--so creative, heartfelt, funny, bawdy, truthful. Every person--so respectful, strong, resolute. A half million shouts of warm pink against a cold fear, echoed in over 600 other places across all 7 continents--even penguins marched for peace that day.
Donald Trump and the Republican leadership that sold its soul to the devil for a few pieces of silver can't hold a candle to us. We're just getting started.
But in the darkness, I take hope. I joined my sisters and brothers of all backgrounds, races, orientations, and genders at the National Mall last Saturday too. My partner and I--two middle-aged gay men--got over our 'we're in our 60s--we're too old to still be doing this' attitude and walked. Every sign--so creative, heartfelt, funny, bawdy, truthful. Every person--so respectful, strong, resolute. A half million shouts of warm pink against a cold fear, echoed in over 600 other places across all 7 continents--even penguins marched for peace that day.
Donald Trump and the Republican leadership that sold its soul to the devil for a few pieces of silver can't hold a candle to us. We're just getting started.
9
I wish I could meet them.
When sincere friends ask me what the Women's March was about, this is what I tell them: "The women and men marched to give VOICE and VISIBILITY to the
concerns of women worldwide... and to forge a VISION of a good future
for all." These sisters are role models for Action and Accountability... they are
figuring out how to resist tyranny and how to help strengthen future generations of women.
concerns of women worldwide... and to forge a VISION of a good future
for all." These sisters are role models for Action and Accountability... they are
figuring out how to resist tyranny and how to help strengthen future generations of women.
4
Happy America has Maya, Mythili and Meera, diverse patriots, who not only live American values, but are willing to standup and fight for them.
I too was at the Women's March. I am a sexagenarian, white male with a long history of calling and writing legislators, and protesting egregious American stupidity. I protested the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and lately, the Trump-GOP War on America.
You ask, "will [the Women's March] translate into consequential action"? I believe the answer is YES. The energy of just moral outrage will Trump hatred and bigotry. The question is, how? The Democratic Party leadership does not know how to answer that question. The answer--just as the Women's March itself--will come from The People. Someone will step forward to organize and direct our collective outrage into consequential action.
For my part, I suggest targeting the GOP Congress. Make them feel the power of The People.
I advocate repeatedly shutting Washington down Tuesdays thru Thursdays while Congress is in session. Block all transportation in and around the Capital with very large crowds. Block legislators and congressional staff from entering the Russell, Hart, Dirksen Senate office buildings and from the Cannon, Rayburn, Longworth House office buildings. Block federal employees from reaching their offices. Block tourists from reaching hotels, museums and memorials.
Make Washington DC stand still. Then similarly target GOP legislators' homes and offices in their home states.
I too was at the Women's March. I am a sexagenarian, white male with a long history of calling and writing legislators, and protesting egregious American stupidity. I protested the Vietnam War, the Iraq War and lately, the Trump-GOP War on America.
You ask, "will [the Women's March] translate into consequential action"? I believe the answer is YES. The energy of just moral outrage will Trump hatred and bigotry. The question is, how? The Democratic Party leadership does not know how to answer that question. The answer--just as the Women's March itself--will come from The People. Someone will step forward to organize and direct our collective outrage into consequential action.
For my part, I suggest targeting the GOP Congress. Make them feel the power of The People.
I advocate repeatedly shutting Washington down Tuesdays thru Thursdays while Congress is in session. Block all transportation in and around the Capital with very large crowds. Block legislators and congressional staff from entering the Russell, Hart, Dirksen Senate office buildings and from the Cannon, Rayburn, Longworth House office buildings. Block federal employees from reaching their offices. Block tourists from reaching hotels, museums and memorials.
Make Washington DC stand still. Then similarly target GOP legislators' homes and offices in their home states.
5
I need to read something like this column occasionally just to maintain some hope that America can divert from a path of sheer insanity before it is too late.
8
I think we've seen enough from the Commander in Thief. I
It's high time for this serial liar mentally unstable racist kleptocrat to go.
The bigger problem are the spineless weasels Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell - these jokers should be considered and treated as enemies of state if they don't quickly repudiate and begin distancing themselves from the Orange lunatic.
See Amendment 25, Section 4 to learn what can be done - but only if craven Republican leadership comes to their senses.
It's high time for this serial liar mentally unstable racist kleptocrat to go.
The bigger problem are the spineless weasels Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell - these jokers should be considered and treated as enemies of state if they don't quickly repudiate and begin distancing themselves from the Orange lunatic.
See Amendment 25, Section 4 to learn what can be done - but only if craven Republican leadership comes to their senses.
9
The likes of you, this journal and its acolytes are largely responsible for your own psychic pain. You trashed violently and with extreme venom any decent elected official that disagreed with your lines of reasoning for a decade. You equated their potential or actual election with the infamous appointment of a mustachioed psychopath. This now is what YOU fostered and believe me, we decent descendants of legal immigrants will not forget how YOU brought us Trumpism. Some of us are, by the grace of God, going to survive this national nightmare. But the Republic, already damaged by YOUR idiocies, may not. If by some eternal grace we are spared the worst we will repay your perfidy. In spades and forever.
1
What can one do watching the tarnishing of Democracy in America? How much longer are the People going to have access to The Free Press? The word 'Bipartisan' disappeared when President Obama was elected in 2008, I remember this. Sinclair Lewis writes 'It Can Happen Here', and it is happening now. Gone Middle-Class.
Americans can unite. 'You are a Leader, or a Follower, you have to make a choice' from a Trump supporter, holding on to his Republican affiliation come what May.
The March of Women is The March for Democracy, and other countries followed.
We The People move forward, while slowing down the efforts of this new Administration. It is time for Trump to build a wall about his Towers. Keep the focus on him, while regaining our Country and liberties that so many have fought for, all the way back to the American Revolution bringing our ancestors, newcomers to the Land of the Brave.
But what about our Children and the next Generation? What about this new Religion that is spreading across the Country? Kant was a philosopher and I remember only one of his sentences: 'Religion is the Opium of The Masses'.
Who is going to come for US in this hour of darkness? We The People of all cultures and religions. We are here in America, all Nations under the Sun, whether Jewish, Catholic, Muslim or Non-Believers. A Sisterly 'No' to Donald Trump was the first step, but I am reporting there will be other ones and it will not be easy. 'American Pride' will prevail.
Americans can unite. 'You are a Leader, or a Follower, you have to make a choice' from a Trump supporter, holding on to his Republican affiliation come what May.
The March of Women is The March for Democracy, and other countries followed.
We The People move forward, while slowing down the efforts of this new Administration. It is time for Trump to build a wall about his Towers. Keep the focus on him, while regaining our Country and liberties that so many have fought for, all the way back to the American Revolution bringing our ancestors, newcomers to the Land of the Brave.
But what about our Children and the next Generation? What about this new Religion that is spreading across the Country? Kant was a philosopher and I remember only one of his sentences: 'Religion is the Opium of The Masses'.
Who is going to come for US in this hour of darkness? We The People of all cultures and religions. We are here in America, all Nations under the Sun, whether Jewish, Catholic, Muslim or Non-Believers. A Sisterly 'No' to Donald Trump was the first step, but I am reporting there will be other ones and it will not be easy. 'American Pride' will prevail.
8
And the shocking thing is that it's not just "who talks that way?" as a presidential candidate but that there are so, so many Americans who cheered him. That's the truly sad thing about this boorish man-child that this country elected as their president. How could so many of us be so disappointed in their own lives that they'd compromise so much of their morality to vote for this twit? And, they still seem to be cheering him on! It's one shock after another.
11
Is it too much to ask liberals to run a true democratic nomination process to nominate a real viable presidential candidate so that this does not happen again?
7
I compare the present times to the 1960s when I moved to this country as a young immigrant, and now I often hear myself muttering, How green was my valley.
I landed in New York and hurried to Iowa the next day. I felt suffocated in the midst of tall brick and glass skyhigh towers of Manhattan. I cancelled my 4-night stay and took a bus to Iowa the next day. When the bus went through the lush green countrysid of Wisconsin, I felt elated like Julie Andrews dancing singing in the rolling Austiran hills in The Sound of Music.
In Iowa I opted to work on a farm construction crew. I had just graduated from college in India before arriving in the US. I had never done any manual or physical work with my hands. While working on shingles on a roof, I wasted more than my share of the special nails. I told my hosts that the foreman did not like my work, and said to me rather sharply to watch out for those "damn" nails. While everyone laughed at my graphic description, Mrs H cut ime short, and gently and politely said to me to not use that kind of language at home. That was the only and the last time I used the word damn.
Perehaps I miss my natural parents more, but I do not miss my Iowa family any less. All my elders back in India, and in Iowa are gone. They are no more. And with them are gone, too, the gentle and innocent, and warm and fussy days and ways. So, here I am, missing My Valley - made ever greener by two wonderful sets of parents.
I landed in New York and hurried to Iowa the next day. I felt suffocated in the midst of tall brick and glass skyhigh towers of Manhattan. I cancelled my 4-night stay and took a bus to Iowa the next day. When the bus went through the lush green countrysid of Wisconsin, I felt elated like Julie Andrews dancing singing in the rolling Austiran hills in The Sound of Music.
In Iowa I opted to work on a farm construction crew. I had just graduated from college in India before arriving in the US. I had never done any manual or physical work with my hands. While working on shingles on a roof, I wasted more than my share of the special nails. I told my hosts that the foreman did not like my work, and said to me rather sharply to watch out for those "damn" nails. While everyone laughed at my graphic description, Mrs H cut ime short, and gently and politely said to me to not use that kind of language at home. That was the only and the last time I used the word damn.
Perehaps I miss my natural parents more, but I do not miss my Iowa family any less. All my elders back in India, and in Iowa are gone. They are no more. And with them are gone, too, the gentle and innocent, and warm and fussy days and ways. So, here I am, missing My Valley - made ever greener by two wonderful sets of parents.
7
At this point, he's due more of a basic human epiphet.
Beautiful column, but I must quibble with on small part: "He’s all ego and spleen, with only the loosest of tethers to truth." -- very nicely said, but I would say "id."
1
Mark my word - Trumps' executive order to ban Muslims will result in multiple terrorist attacks in the US in the near future. It's only taken Trump 1 week to stir it up but that particular action will set off terrorism in multiple American cities and not just in New York and Washington. I knew the next 4 years would be hell but the worst is yet to come. Brace yourselves because this won't be pretty.
6
God bless these three women for standing up to a bully, man-child President.
They are, in every sense of the word, true Americans. We all need to follow their example and rise up, and let Trump know he does not reflect our values as citizens.
We need to let our Congressional reps know we are watching to see if they have a spine and any morals, or will you just put Party above country at all costs. These are the same cowards that after 24 beautiful 5 year olds were murdered in Newton CT, were cowed by the NRA, and could not even close the gun show loophole, or keep guns out of the hands of crazies, or those on a terrorist watch list or no fly list. Gutless wonders s/b voted out.
They are, in every sense of the word, true Americans. We all need to follow their example and rise up, and let Trump know he does not reflect our values as citizens.
We need to let our Congressional reps know we are watching to see if they have a spine and any morals, or will you just put Party above country at all costs. These are the same cowards that after 24 beautiful 5 year olds were murdered in Newton CT, were cowed by the NRA, and could not even close the gun show loophole, or keep guns out of the hands of crazies, or those on a terrorist watch list or no fly list. Gutless wonders s/b voted out.
7
The fact that President Trump is so loathed by most of the liberal New York Times readers makes me smile. He really rattles their feathers and it is a sight to behold. I happen to approve of his actions and hopes he continues to do what he promised us he would do. Please carry on Mr. President.
3
Thank you Frank for another eloquent and on-point column.
I marched last week with my daughter at the Women's March, also the first time we ever took part in such an event. It was such a joyous day, I cried numerous times through out the day, Marching along side so many people: young and old, parents with children. My hope is that from this upheaval common sense and decency will prevail.
I marched last week with my daughter at the Women's March, also the first time we ever took part in such an event. It was such a joyous day, I cried numerous times through out the day, Marching along side so many people: young and old, parents with children. My hope is that from this upheaval common sense and decency will prevail.
7
The teacher gasped. Is that all Mr. Bruni can complain about?
2
Republican congressional silence towards Mr Trump's discriminatory executive orders are nothing less than an affirmation of those orders and will not be forgotten in the annals of history.
10
This man, Donald Trump, has done more in a week to destroy our country, than has taken others centuries.
6
There's nobody in our extended family who won't be hurt by this vile regime and its accomplices in Congress. Nobody. Our best hope is that this moment is just an awful aberration, and does not represent a radical, permanent break with democratic governance
Among us, we include Jews (feeling scared these days); several black and racially mixed family members; married lesbians beginning to realize there are parts of their own country they can never safely visit; a struggling heroin addict whose methadone therapy will be unaffordable when her Medicaid benefits are yanked; family members people dependent on dwindling Social Security and Medicare benefits (now threatened with the insult-added-to-injury of privatization); family members who will lose their ability to purchase affordable health insurance when the ACA is killed; a military veteran who served his country in Afghanistan, who copes with PTSD, and who has already felt the impact of the long-term Republican assault on veterans' benefits; and a hard-working youngster who has periodically needed SNAP to make up the gap between the paycheck and the cost of groceries since the baby arrived.
We are not privileged. Some of us are doing quite well, some of us are just getting by. We're all working hard. We are an American family.
And we are losing our America, to men like Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, heaven help us--men who are not worthy to enter the White House on a guided tour.
Among us, we include Jews (feeling scared these days); several black and racially mixed family members; married lesbians beginning to realize there are parts of their own country they can never safely visit; a struggling heroin addict whose methadone therapy will be unaffordable when her Medicaid benefits are yanked; family members people dependent on dwindling Social Security and Medicare benefits (now threatened with the insult-added-to-injury of privatization); family members who will lose their ability to purchase affordable health insurance when the ACA is killed; a military veteran who served his country in Afghanistan, who copes with PTSD, and who has already felt the impact of the long-term Republican assault on veterans' benefits; and a hard-working youngster who has periodically needed SNAP to make up the gap between the paycheck and the cost of groceries since the baby arrived.
We are not privileged. Some of us are doing quite well, some of us are just getting by. We're all working hard. We are an American family.
And we are losing our America, to men like Steve Bannon, Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan, heaven help us--men who are not worthy to enter the White House on a guided tour.
143
Obama found and eliminated Bin Laden as well as numerous other terrorists. Trump has banned students and skilled workers. How many Stanford, MIT, and Harvard students are terrorists? Some Americans believed his fables - his distortions - his sneers and taunts. Trump is angry that the NYT did not tell him how wonderful he is - only Paul Ryan thinks that - but he's just the bus boy. It's been a depressing week - but stories like these give hope.
5
Frank, here's what worries me. It's not that Trumpism will be a success. It's that the Democrats seem to have nothing to oppose to it. I have not seen one single idea come out of the Democrats since the election, not one. It's 100 percent reactivity to Trump, and 0 percent about how the Democrats are offering something of their own. That's a sign of intellectual bankruptcy. It's also a sign that they'll go right on losing. You can't beat something, not even something as rotten as Trump, with absolutely nothing.
88
I concur with the indignation that most of the comments in the latest NYT editorials have expressed. The problem is that if you look at the typical commenter on Yahoo or other anonymous forums, they are full of vitriol and hate. I was flabbergasted on Election Night and realized I had only paid attention to my favorite news media: the NY Times and the New Yorker. The rest of America feels differently. I am thankful that my child is not yet ready to get married and have kids - I fervently hope that 8-12 years from now we return to saner times.
6
I have been calling my senators every day, which is not something I have ever done before. I plan to do even more because this past week confirmed that there is a mentally unstable and evil man in the White House. I am inspired to resist until he and his minions have been banished.
6
Look, we have known what kind of person Trump is for a long time. It's been regularly reported that he is a narcissistic egomaniac, and we have had many examples during the campaign to demonstrate this. His main preoccupation throughout his life has been to build himself up at the expense of others. Anyone with a lick of self-respect could see through this guy in about two minutes. But he somehow he gets electored anyway. And in one week, he has done I don't know how many things that denigrate our country simply because he wants to show his power. What does all this say about America? Well clearly there are a lot of people without a lick of self-respect who voted for him. The quote at the end of this column affirms that. I mean who says things like that? The answer, of course, is the person they voted for.
6
God bless these women.
9
The small group of people surrounding Trump will have to atone for their actions, here, in the court of public opinion, or later, in the court system which by God better maintain its independence. Nixon was able to avoid his punishment, but that cannot happen again. At least when Bannon is tossed in the pokey, his attire will improve from the late eighties, strip club manager look. Somewhere he is hiding his Mr. T gold chains.
6
I fear Trump as a student of Roy Cohn and inheritor of Nixon will move on to others of us. He will create situations where to resist will put resisters on the wrong side of the law. Will your child have to resist the draft or face prison? Will you be forced to swear to point fingers? Will new tests for all federal jobs be enacted? Putinesque too. This is not good. And mounting resistance fast needs to get ahead of his malfeasance. I only hope we can move fast enough. I do not thing we can wait two years to replace the legislature. What are the real options?
83
Yeah, we are all doing this, but I don't think opposition by the people is enough. We need Republicans to seize the day and realize this man is a danger to our country. The unimaginable has befallen us as it has befallen other nations in other times. When the unimaginable happens it calls for deliberate action. What are you waiting for, folks? Impeach the guy. .
7
Great big marches don't mean a thing. These marches need to be taking place at the local and state level. D.C. is a lost cause. Local and State legislators are bending right and all the Progress Democrats do is complain about "farm to table" food for homeless shelters and transgender bathrooms. You guys need to get your head out of the clouds. Liberalism died when BLM commandeered Bernie's microphone and they relished the moment. You guys killed your own golden goose that day and were proud of it. Well you are paying the price for your selfishness now: Trump is President.
1
We simply don't need any Muslims here. There's no evidence their cult is compatible with our nation's values. Mohammed is a vile figure, making war and marrying a little girl. Most Muslim nations are hellholes where women are treated like dirt. The majority of Muslims who have been brought into Europe have done nothing to adopt the values of such places.
Why here? Why on earth do we need to welcome burka clad women and men who think of them property? For the life of me, I will never get the left's denial of Islamic extremism and their like of a cult that demeans half the population of humanity.
Ever.
Why here? Why on earth do we need to welcome burka clad women and men who think of them property? For the life of me, I will never get the left's denial of Islamic extremism and their like of a cult that demeans half the population of humanity.
Ever.
3
Thank you for this wonderful reminder of why I marched here in St Louis last week. These women are what this country is made of and they are our future. And, yes, LOVE does trump hate.
4
Godspeed to them and all other fresh "rookie" Americans who I am certain already know more about American civics and history that make us a GREAT country. Someone just get 45 a binky and wake him up when his term is over and we have reverted to electing sane people.
4
This is such an American story!
Too bad our pea-brain of a president, deaf, dumb, blind and stupid, can't find joy and inspiration from these, not uncommon, stories. They're so typical of our country - or at least they used to be!
Too bad our pea-brain of a president, deaf, dumb, blind and stupid, can't find joy and inspiration from these, not uncommon, stories. They're so typical of our country - or at least they used to be!
5
We rented a room for three days, rented a car, took two days off work, drove almost 1000 miles Thursday to be there to see the Friday protests and march on Saturday. Sunday morning we left DC at 4am to be home in time to pick up our dog who we'd arranged temporary housing for and before our cats ran out of food.
We've protested locally twice several years ago, but neither of us had ever done anything like this.
The sacrifice was not nothing.
It left us politically energized, physically drained, and proud to have taken part in such a historical event: The Inauguration of a Liberal Protest movement of the 21st century to oppose Trump, Pence, and conservatives.
We walked 15-20 miles over those two days, bearing witness and participating, chanted, shouted, and made connections with others.
A week later and I'm still proud, still energized, and determined to make a better sign, and get better shoes for next time. We've committed to getting involved locally, and will not rest until the racist/sexist right is banished, single-payer health care has been passed, the Electoral College has been deleted, gerrymandering fixed, Women's rights secured, and Black Lives protected, immigrants welcomed, education made a priority, and the slide to ill-advised market solutions stopped and reversed (capitalism isn't always the right answer, just like a screw driver isn't the only tool to fix stuff, it is an important tool, but so are pliers).
We've protested locally twice several years ago, but neither of us had ever done anything like this.
The sacrifice was not nothing.
It left us politically energized, physically drained, and proud to have taken part in such a historical event: The Inauguration of a Liberal Protest movement of the 21st century to oppose Trump, Pence, and conservatives.
We walked 15-20 miles over those two days, bearing witness and participating, chanted, shouted, and made connections with others.
A week later and I'm still proud, still energized, and determined to make a better sign, and get better shoes for next time. We've committed to getting involved locally, and will not rest until the racist/sexist right is banished, single-payer health care has been passed, the Electoral College has been deleted, gerrymandering fixed, Women's rights secured, and Black Lives protected, immigrants welcomed, education made a priority, and the slide to ill-advised market solutions stopped and reversed (capitalism isn't always the right answer, just like a screw driver isn't the only tool to fix stuff, it is an important tool, but so are pliers).
138
This past December I was privileged to be invited to an 80th birthday celebration. The celebrant had come to this country as a teen in the early '50s. He'd worked hard, with help he'd graduated from Cornell. He'd been successful, fine family, grandchildren, lived the dream. But not in this country. He'd been denied citizenship in the xenophobic 50's because his parents had enrolled him in the Hitler youth when he was 4 years old. The party took place in Mexico City. Responding to complements by his many friends in tribute to his late first wife, current wife, and wonderful daughters, this fine gentleman insisted the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen was,"the one in the harbor holding the torch of freedom so high." In that crowded room I sat with tears on my cheeks for my country which had denied its full promise to one who loved it none the less. We'll never know the potential being turned away today; nor know security purchased at the cost of our ideals.
7
Here we are 72 years, almost to the day, after the liberation of Auschwitz. I thought we had learned what we as Americans stood for, after so many millions around the world sacrificed their lives and livelihood. God knows we Americans have much work to do, but justice, freedom, responsibility, honesty, respect for others, discussion and compromise rather than innuendo, insistence upon facts, progress for the sake of future generations all have seemed to motivate us.
Until now. I am ashamed to have this government represent me. Washington is now the City of Foreigners. I cannot fathom how striving for a balanced budget, tax relief for those that don't need it, providing sufficient pain to incentivize people to harder work, whatever else they stand for, is supposed to guide and inspire anyone. For me these three women embody the American Dream; they are the ones we can look up to, not Republicans, certainly not Trump. They give me hope.
The post Eisenhower Republican platform, crystallized in Trump, is all the more Sad and sobering because we have seen it so many times before; in each generation we seem to crave something, someone else to blame for our own failures. They give it to us. Hate everyone and everything: pretty soon, the Leader is all you have left. Quite apart from the damage it does to today's targets, that is a slippery slope to despotism.
Until now. I am ashamed to have this government represent me. Washington is now the City of Foreigners. I cannot fathom how striving for a balanced budget, tax relief for those that don't need it, providing sufficient pain to incentivize people to harder work, whatever else they stand for, is supposed to guide and inspire anyone. For me these three women embody the American Dream; they are the ones we can look up to, not Republicans, certainly not Trump. They give me hope.
The post Eisenhower Republican platform, crystallized in Trump, is all the more Sad and sobering because we have seen it so many times before; in each generation we seem to crave something, someone else to blame for our own failures. They give it to us. Hate everyone and everything: pretty soon, the Leader is all you have left. Quite apart from the damage it does to today's targets, that is a slippery slope to despotism.
3
What Trump and his frenzied supporters underestimate is how deeply liberals love their country. The extreme right monopolized the "patriotic" brand, wrapped themselves in the flag, and claimed that anything they think and do is patriotic just because it is them doing it. Liberals do not tend to make a show of their patriotism, but the demonstrations and outrage that is sparking a new wave of activism are happening because every single one of those people shouting "NO" love their country fiercely, as you do, and will not sit by the sidelines while everything that makes this country complicated and beautiful and indeed "great" is pulled down in a temper tantrum by an out of control bully.
6
You seem to be surprised Frank. The majority of voters did not vote for Trump.
4
As someone who came to this country over 40 years ago.....I now and then seem to see things differently from people born in the U.S.
One big thing I wish Democrats could warmly hug as theirs = the United States flags. Let us carry them every where. Let us show how much we wish our country well. How much we love it......by carrying flags at protests, etc.
Could we do that and the other side may figure out that we just maybe care for this country more than they do?!
One big thing I wish Democrats could warmly hug as theirs = the United States flags. Let us carry them every where. Let us show how much we wish our country well. How much we love it......by carrying flags at protests, etc.
Could we do that and the other side may figure out that we just maybe care for this country more than they do?!
7
So, it's time to start printing the "I am a Muslim" buttons, time to reach out to somebody who looks different, time to tell Uncle "Charlie" that his racist cracks are NOT welcome at the table, time to "take our country back". America belongs to the educated as well as the "poorly educated", to the scientists as well as the Flat Earth Society, to those who extend the hand of hospitality as well as those who turn a cold shoulder. The question is, who and what will prevail? Will courage win or will cowardice? Will love of knowledge and truth win or will superstition? Will the Lady in the New York Harbor win or will the little man in the gold painted tower? Time to stand up and be counted. I am an agnostic and I am a Muslim.
149
I am watching orthodox Jewish twenty somethings holding signs and chanting welcome to those fighting to enter from Muslim countries. This is who we are, we are not Trump!
5
Please call your elected officials everyday to express your outrage. Mine are on speed dial.
2
Tonight we have much to be proud of. Protesters and lawyers met Trumps ugly Muslim ban head on, and won the first battle. What was impressive was that at international airports all over the country, people just started showing up to support the arrivals, and fight for what was right. Lawyers came from all over, big firms, small firms, volunteering their time. ACLU lawyers led the fight, and won a national stay. It's enough to make you cry, Americans standing up for who we are, and what is right...this is what patriotism looks like!
2
Have these sisters seen what muslims have done to their country of birth, India. Maybe time to do some research before it's too late. I did not vote for Trump, but I support this ban. It sends a message to all muslims, they will be scrutinized when entering America, much easier to terrorize Europe. Why Re these refugees running to America anyway, they should goto rich middle eastern countries.
Frank, we are now become a nation of ignorants (spelling intentional) by executive fiat, legislate cowardice and malfeasance, and judicial inaction, Judge Anne M. Donnelly's partial blocking of Trump's anti-immigration order notwithstanding.
2
It takes nothing more than the complete travesty of democracy embodied in the Electoral College system of voter nullification to impugn every claim to virtue the US ever made.
3
Trump should not be evaluated logically. He is a psychological misanthrope. In one week he and his "advisors" have managed to bring shame and embarrassment to our country nearly beyond repair.
He reacts egregiously and out of all normal proportion to sleights and criticism of any kind as has been obviously and continuously displayed.
The sleights and criticisms must become a torrent. He will sooner or later, hopefully sooner, finally over react. It will be nasty and possibly dangerous but it will be glaringly obvious to everyone - even his treasonous apologists, that for the safety of America and the world, he must be forced to step down.
All persons with a modicum of honor and patriotism already recognize what a cyclonic mistake we have made.
God help America.
He reacts egregiously and out of all normal proportion to sleights and criticism of any kind as has been obviously and continuously displayed.
The sleights and criticisms must become a torrent. He will sooner or later, hopefully sooner, finally over react. It will be nasty and possibly dangerous but it will be glaringly obvious to everyone - even his treasonous apologists, that for the safety of America and the world, he must be forced to step down.
All persons with a modicum of honor and patriotism already recognize what a cyclonic mistake we have made.
God help America.
6
Women have begun the resistance. Now Patriotic men need to join us every time Trump stomps on the Constitution.
6
These women have every right to be fearful. They and all of their fellow marchers are heroines. However, one march, one week is not enough. This needs to continue until Trump's Ugly American tenure is stamped out. Let us see a sea of pink hats at every Trump event.
Consider putting a patch on each hat that says "America is Great!'.
The opposition to Trump and his Republican handlers and every thing they stand for must continue until they are put out of office by popular demand. Expose the lies and liars, educate the voter, vote in 2018.
Consider putting a patch on each hat that says "America is Great!'.
The opposition to Trump and his Republican handlers and every thing they stand for must continue until they are put out of office by popular demand. Expose the lies and liars, educate the voter, vote in 2018.
5
Calling Democrat Senators or Congressmen in a Democrat State won't change the result. Marchers need to change districts which switched from Obama to Trump. That's the only way to make a real difference.
2
Like the Roman god, Janus, America presents two faces to the world. In our case, however, one face smiles with an openness that welcomes new people and new ideas, that celebrates our success in creating a democratic society consisting of people from every cultural and ethnic background on the planet. The other face wears a dour expression that reflects a deep fear and distrust of diversity as a threat to American unity.
Both faces, unfortunately, express authentic American attitudes and values. Our greatest leaders, the ones we honor with monuments and holidays, all championed the country's democratic ideals and traditions. Despite their faults, they helped to create a nation that struggled to expand its ideal of equality to include all people, to make America a society that could attract immigrants like the parents of the three sisters profiled in Bruni's column.
These efforts have always encountered hostility from Americans who regarded immigrants as the source of threats to our way of life. Lacking confidence to the durability of our political institutions, these nativists regarded the newcomers as radicals or terrorists.
Politicians representing this outlook frequently won office on the state level or in Congress, but the presidency remained beyond their reach. With the election of Trump, the official face of the US wears the grim expression of hostility to outsiders. Protests over the last week offer hope that Trump's visage does not represent our future.
Both faces, unfortunately, express authentic American attitudes and values. Our greatest leaders, the ones we honor with monuments and holidays, all championed the country's democratic ideals and traditions. Despite their faults, they helped to create a nation that struggled to expand its ideal of equality to include all people, to make America a society that could attract immigrants like the parents of the three sisters profiled in Bruni's column.
These efforts have always encountered hostility from Americans who regarded immigrants as the source of threats to our way of life. Lacking confidence to the durability of our political institutions, these nativists regarded the newcomers as radicals or terrorists.
Politicians representing this outlook frequently won office on the state level or in Congress, but the presidency remained beyond their reach. With the election of Trump, the official face of the US wears the grim expression of hostility to outsiders. Protests over the last week offer hope that Trump's visage does not represent our future.
10
These ladies represent everything that is good about America. But they are also everything that many Republican voters fear. Strong, smart women who speak for themselves. Brown. Successful "foreign" people who've snatched up good jobs from white men.
Little Donald himself is nothing to fear. He's an empty shell echoing the words of his so-called advisors. That's where the evil lies. Bannon's hatred for America. Pence's pious self-importance. And all the others who are scrambling to find ways to make money on this joke of a presidency. This cancer is growing fast and must be excised before it kills. Will our elected leaders grow a backbone in time to save our country? Or are they too drunk on their great success to even care?
Little Donald himself is nothing to fear. He's an empty shell echoing the words of his so-called advisors. That's where the evil lies. Bannon's hatred for America. Pence's pious self-importance. And all the others who are scrambling to find ways to make money on this joke of a presidency. This cancer is growing fast and must be excised before it kills. Will our elected leaders grow a backbone in time to save our country? Or are they too drunk on their great success to even care?
19
The shocking advent of Trump's neo-fascist dystopia has prompted the unmistakable need for a broad-based civic upheaval to save our country from seriously dangerous and deranged president. This is not likely to be a brief or simple process, but the restoration of stable, responsible and responsive representative government will require vigilance, courage and tenacity. It will also require real elected leaders who have yet to emerge to speak truth to power and marshal the resistance to the dangerous disinformation, aggression and blatant injustice emanating from a totalitarian White House. It is not clear that the system of checks and balances established by the founders of this Republic will function as they envisioned. If members of the Senate and House of Representatives prove incapable of standing up for sane leadership, new forces of resistance must then emerge to reestablish a just and equitable government that will once again pursue peace, the general welfare and international cooperation to ensure the survival of our planet.
18
As an Indian-American immigrant, I fully empathize with Maya Rao and her sisters. I waited over ninety minutes in one of three long lines outside my local Metro station to board a train into DC to participate in the Women’s March on Washington. It was going to be my first protest march ever and as the father of a 26-year old daughter, who lives in DC, it was very important to our family that we support this cause. Especially after hearing Trump’s bleak inaugural address that offered such a dark and gloomy view of our beloved country, protesting his dystopian vision became an imperative.
We all need to keep vigilant to ensure that the alt-right, which now occupies the White House, does not drown us in “alternative facts” and try to transport us into an “alternative universe.” The Women’s March on Washington provided me reassurance that we have the wherewithal to keep the Trump administration grounded in reality. As the late great Senator Patrick Moynihan used to say, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
For me, the march was a sublime experience overall and renewed my faith in the American people and the future of our great nation. So keep hope alive, brothers and sisters!
We all need to keep vigilant to ensure that the alt-right, which now occupies the White House, does not drown us in “alternative facts” and try to transport us into an “alternative universe.” The Women’s March on Washington provided me reassurance that we have the wherewithal to keep the Trump administration grounded in reality. As the late great Senator Patrick Moynihan used to say, “Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts.”
For me, the march was a sublime experience overall and renewed my faith in the American people and the future of our great nation. So keep hope alive, brothers and sisters!
19
“No one shared her family’s traditions — its vegetarianism, for example. . . . Her teacher looked at hers and, in front of the other kids, gasped, ‘You didn’t eat any meat? Then she opined that Mythili’s parents were leaving her malnourished.”
This is so Texas and so Republican – condemning others on the basis of misinformation disseminated by a multi-billion dollar transnational industry (Big Agriculture) that cruelly and callously confines, torments, and kills billions of pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys every year just to make some money.
Like Mythili, Maya, and Meera – and hundreds of millions of Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus (and many other Christians and Jews) – I have been vegetarian for years. We are all still alive – in fact, much healthier on average than meat-eaters.
And we’re hardly suffering. There are plenty of truly excellent meat-substitutes – Amy’s, Beyond Meat, Boca, Gardein, Lightlife, MorningStar, Smart, Tofurky, Vegan Plus, and Yves – available online and at stores like Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Trader Joe’s.
Exploiting and killing innocent, sentient, and highly intelligent non-humans for trivial purposes is evil – the ultimate consequence of a self-superior attitude embodied by the right. Humans may be more intelligent than non-humans, but this greater intelligence doesn’t give us the right to kill and eat them any more than it gives us the right to kill and eat less intelligent humans. If it did, Republicans would be an endangered species.
This is so Texas and so Republican – condemning others on the basis of misinformation disseminated by a multi-billion dollar transnational industry (Big Agriculture) that cruelly and callously confines, torments, and kills billions of pigs, cows, chickens, and turkeys every year just to make some money.
Like Mythili, Maya, and Meera – and hundreds of millions of Muslims, Buddhists, and Hindus (and many other Christians and Jews) – I have been vegetarian for years. We are all still alive – in fact, much healthier on average than meat-eaters.
And we’re hardly suffering. There are plenty of truly excellent meat-substitutes – Amy’s, Beyond Meat, Boca, Gardein, Lightlife, MorningStar, Smart, Tofurky, Vegan Plus, and Yves – available online and at stores like Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Trader Joe’s.
Exploiting and killing innocent, sentient, and highly intelligent non-humans for trivial purposes is evil – the ultimate consequence of a self-superior attitude embodied by the right. Humans may be more intelligent than non-humans, but this greater intelligence doesn’t give us the right to kill and eat them any more than it gives us the right to kill and eat less intelligent humans. If it did, Republicans would be an endangered species.
14
@RL,
Thank you for mansplaining to us ladies (“I just hope that soon enough they’ll see that they have little to fear”) that we needn’t worry our pretty little heads over the carnage resulting from your Dear Leader’s reign.
The fundamental human right to freely choose whether to reproduce (or not) may very well be stripped away from the female half of America’s population. Given that our right to reproductive autonomy is in grave danger, it’s particularly galling that men like you don’t seem to have a clue how life-shattering the loss of that autonomy will be.
And it isn’t just about the freedom to use birth control, or the right to an abortion. If the government can mandate forced birth, what’s to stop it from mandating forced sterilization as well for women who don’t fit the profile of desirable breeders?
Your president seems to be intent on turning women into farm animals and breeding stock. If that doesn’t scare you, I pity the women in your life.
Toss in the terrifying threat of nuclear or climate change catastrophe, and there's perfectly good reason to be frightened.
Thank you for mansplaining to us ladies (“I just hope that soon enough they’ll see that they have little to fear”) that we needn’t worry our pretty little heads over the carnage resulting from your Dear Leader’s reign.
The fundamental human right to freely choose whether to reproduce (or not) may very well be stripped away from the female half of America’s population. Given that our right to reproductive autonomy is in grave danger, it’s particularly galling that men like you don’t seem to have a clue how life-shattering the loss of that autonomy will be.
And it isn’t just about the freedom to use birth control, or the right to an abortion. If the government can mandate forced birth, what’s to stop it from mandating forced sterilization as well for women who don’t fit the profile of desirable breeders?
Your president seems to be intent on turning women into farm animals and breeding stock. If that doesn’t scare you, I pity the women in your life.
Toss in the terrifying threat of nuclear or climate change catastrophe, and there's perfectly good reason to be frightened.
19
Has it really only been 8 days? It's almost impossible to believe one person could change the character of America in such a short amount of time.
18
Thank you for sharing the story of these sisters. I'm from Texas and my daughter, my sister and two colleagues flew to Washington DC to attend the March. Another one rode the bus. We all voted, by the way.
The March gave me hope and if the Feminine can prevail and take back our country, then maybe some good will come from the Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The March gave me hope and if the Feminine can prevail and take back our country, then maybe some good will come from the Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue.
16
There are many great people like these sisters in America. They have just been marginalized by the crude economic theories that dominate our lives, GDP and growth are prized above all, with no room for human feelings unless they can be monetized. But the tide may now be at its lowest. While we now can see the rot and the muck on an expanded foreshore, the clean tide may fill again and wash away the slime.
13
I hope I'm wrong. But with Republicans in charge and acting like Trump's obedient lap dogs after having swept the country and become engorged and crazed with power far beyond cowardly exercising it by way of obstructionism the last eight years, they will now do what they darned well please. And that means having eyes only for conservative causes like controlling women's reproductive rights (about which they are delirious???) and letting liberal "demonic" open minded policies progressive protesters are yelling about--and desperately trying to hold onto--roll off their narrow backs like water off a duck's.
15
Three women with brains, ambition, integrity, generous and contributing natures, and futures as bright as sunflowers? I’d be surprised if the misogynistic eunuchs crouching in the anonymous and shadowy corners of the internet DIDN'T troll them. These amazing and self-assured ladies are everything the little fellas fear.
51
To the sisters: I apologize for all Americans. Most of us are good hearted people, who just want to better our families and community. Occasionally, something wicked this way comes. It is aided and abetted by profiteers, sycophants and those who should know better. Racism is a long-standing
tool and shame, used to divide us. Sexism: well, obviously we women
should know our place and be grateful it's not the 1950's (or 1850's,
here in Kansas). The arc of justice is long, and I believe in karma.
Thank you.
tool and shame, used to divide us. Sexism: well, obviously we women
should know our place and be grateful it's not the 1950's (or 1850's,
here in Kansas). The arc of justice is long, and I believe in karma.
Thank you.
41
Go ladies. Irritate the beast. He'll crack up sooner as his ego gets trashed by the millions of us who hate all he stands for. We need to speak for all these freedom loving people around the works who see us as stupid fo taking his every word as law. He needs to be reminded of the trash he speaks. Resist. Officisls beed to step up. We all do. If ordinary people resist and refuse to carry out unlawful orders and policies he can't succeed like Hitler and Musollini. Just read what those people said after it was too late. It's not too late for us. Resist. In every way you can. No matter what those supporters And apologists say in his favor ..They are part of the problem.
11
I live in a smallish community within an enormous city and we are horrified with what has happened over the first 8 days of this administration. These 8 days seem like an eternity. Many of us marched a week ago, women and men, and like these three sisters, felt heartened and stronger seeing that there are so many like-minded citizens. We saw that there are thousands, possibly millions of us and we believe strength lies in numbers.
We are desperate to do anything we can to register our anguish, shock and disapproval of what this strange administration is inflicting on the country we love. We do not understand why the new administration insists on fouling our America. This is certainly not making “greatness”, not in any way. We still think that elected officials work for the people. So we, the people of this small community are organizing to plan ways in which we think we might make our voices heard. We know that this same thing is happening in communities all over the country.
We were the sleeping giant and but we are now awake. We are not going away.
We are desperate to do anything we can to register our anguish, shock and disapproval of what this strange administration is inflicting on the country we love. We do not understand why the new administration insists on fouling our America. This is certainly not making “greatness”, not in any way. We still think that elected officials work for the people. So we, the people of this small community are organizing to plan ways in which we think we might make our voices heard. We know that this same thing is happening in communities all over the country.
We were the sleeping giant and but we are now awake. We are not going away.
12
“Ich bin ein Muslim”, meaning “I am a believer”.
Our world would be a much better place if we put the faith above our ancient cultures. The individual cultures are nationalistic, ethnic, sectarian, religious, divisive… All the wars in this history were waged to impose a different culture – Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Ottoman, Spanish, British, French, German, Japanese, American, Jewish, Sunni, Shiite on our neighbors, other nations, a continent or the entire globe…
The faith is universal, unifying and peaceful. The faith is the universal set of principles that brings all of us closer.
The cultures are the tribal rules whose only purpose is to indicate that we don’t belong to another tribe…
Really explosive mix is created when the faith is equated with an individual culture. That is achieved through the religions. The religion is basically a mix of faith and an ancient culture, a mix of something really good and something really bad.
When you mix the faith with the Jewish, Roman, Byzantine and Arab culture you get respectively the Judaism, the Catholicism, the Greek Orthodoxy, and the Islam.
Just imagine if the people put the faith above any culture or language. “Muslim” is just an Arab world for “believer”.
Imagine if the faithful people where truly free of any ancient culture or corresponding language and described themselves as “believer” instead of the Arabic world “Muslim”. Would president Trump dare to ban the believers from entering the USA?
Our world would be a much better place if we put the faith above our ancient cultures. The individual cultures are nationalistic, ethnic, sectarian, religious, divisive… All the wars in this history were waged to impose a different culture – Roman, Byzantine, Arabic, Ottoman, Spanish, British, French, German, Japanese, American, Jewish, Sunni, Shiite on our neighbors, other nations, a continent or the entire globe…
The faith is universal, unifying and peaceful. The faith is the universal set of principles that brings all of us closer.
The cultures are the tribal rules whose only purpose is to indicate that we don’t belong to another tribe…
Really explosive mix is created when the faith is equated with an individual culture. That is achieved through the religions. The religion is basically a mix of faith and an ancient culture, a mix of something really good and something really bad.
When you mix the faith with the Jewish, Roman, Byzantine and Arab culture you get respectively the Judaism, the Catholicism, the Greek Orthodoxy, and the Islam.
Just imagine if the people put the faith above any culture or language. “Muslim” is just an Arab world for “believer”.
Imagine if the faithful people where truly free of any ancient culture or corresponding language and described themselves as “believer” instead of the Arabic world “Muslim”. Would president Trump dare to ban the believers from entering the USA?
2
"They’re scared," Frank writes of the Rao sisters.
Yep, there's nothing like FEAR to motivate one to get off their butt and ... well, do something to lessen their fears.
That's EXACTLY what motivated the Tea Partiers. They were "scared" of just who it was that a black President, who spoke of unity, compassion and seeking to help our less fortunate brethren, was talking about. They figured it wasn't about "US," it was about "THEM." Very quickly, with the aid of Murdoch's dark angels and a Republican which divided only to conquer, Obama became one who, of course, hated cops and who increased racism by daring to suggest that, maybe, just maybe, those who were brought here as slaves and who were hardly allowed to vote until a couple of generations ago might be seen as second class or who passed Obamacare solely for the benefit of the unworthy or who was the 'food stamp' President.
God almighty help us as we tear ourselves apart into fear and hate-filled tribes with our absolute certainty that it is "me and mine" who need to be "scared" and that it it is all those "others" who just can't wait to get their hands on what "me and mine" have.
Yep, there's nothing like FEAR to motivate one to get off their butt and ... well, do something to lessen their fears.
That's EXACTLY what motivated the Tea Partiers. They were "scared" of just who it was that a black President, who spoke of unity, compassion and seeking to help our less fortunate brethren, was talking about. They figured it wasn't about "US," it was about "THEM." Very quickly, with the aid of Murdoch's dark angels and a Republican which divided only to conquer, Obama became one who, of course, hated cops and who increased racism by daring to suggest that, maybe, just maybe, those who were brought here as slaves and who were hardly allowed to vote until a couple of generations ago might be seen as second class or who passed Obamacare solely for the benefit of the unworthy or who was the 'food stamp' President.
God almighty help us as we tear ourselves apart into fear and hate-filled tribes with our absolute certainty that it is "me and mine" who need to be "scared" and that it it is all those "others" who just can't wait to get their hands on what "me and mine" have.
8
At first, it seemed to me that the women's march last week might be jumping the gun, putting too much opposition up too quickly and, thus, providing actual comfort to the millions who voted for Trump. (See there, they're poor losers, etc.) If you strengthen the apparent opposition, you push away the time when they, too, might see the light flashing DANGER and lessen the chance that Americans of good will and good sense can come together in unified opposition to the disasters ahead.
Forget all the talk about rural revolt and the anger of the working classes. Trump is in the White House by a razor thin margin and even supporters interviewed at the inauguration said they wished he would mind his tongue and, on occasion, just shut up.
As it turns out, the march was right on target if, but only if, it leads to nationwide organization and pulsating energy to preserve, protect and defend that best and most generous of our American instincts and traditions. Only if there is a massive follow on, which, right now, is in doubt.
Trump is a man who trumpets his desire to flaunt any and all regular procedures, the law and, if it gets in his way, the Constitution. He has spent, maybe, 1 minute and 15 seconds trying to bring us together and unite around common goals and all of the rest of the last year and a half pumping hard for greater distrust, anger and division. He has no intention of governing for all, he just wants to thrill himself and his most ardent supporters.
9
The sisters could return to the country of their birth and work to enact all those changes there that they want make here.
Sadly they are representative of what we let n our country now. Just here to protest.
Sadly they are representative of what we let n our country now. Just here to protest.
2
America is gravely threatened by the small cowardly man who is President and his pathetic treasonous enablers. We must resist!
15
I was lucky enough to attend the Women's March with my Wife. It was the honor of my life.
14
It's good that Mr. Bruni can find something to be cheerful. I cannot. Everything I see Trump (I used to refer him as "mr Trump" but cannot do anymore) is a blow to my guts.
As an immigrant who escaped political persecution (and sure death), I cannot help but cry with Trump's most recent action. Had he been the president in the mid 1980s I would have been dead long ago (not a retired college professor who taught thousands of American kids over a 30+ years of academic career) and I cannot even imagine what my wife and daughters' fate would have been.
To Paul Ryan and and the silent Republicans in times of pure tyranny: How could you? Have you no shame?
As an immigrant who escaped political persecution (and sure death), I cannot help but cry with Trump's most recent action. Had he been the president in the mid 1980s I would have been dead long ago (not a retired college professor who taught thousands of American kids over a 30+ years of academic career) and I cannot even imagine what my wife and daughters' fate would have been.
To Paul Ryan and and the silent Republicans in times of pure tyranny: How could you? Have you no shame?
26
One week into Trump's Presidency and we are frightened by his xenophobia, misogyny, hatred and Tweets, bigotry and the chaos that is reigning since he closed America's open doors to refugees from 7 Middle-Eastern countries yesterday and today. As Americans who recall World War II and the Soviet threat and Watergate and the stolen election from Al Gore, and the Bush/Cheney/Rove Axis, we have never been so concerned about the future of America till right now. These aren't 'usual times', Frank! There is a madman at the helm of our ship of state and dollars to donuts we are doomed by his demented actions. Praying and hoping for a Deus ex Machina to descend upon the new Occupant of the White House and Oval Office (and his Pit Bull Cerberus advisers Bannon and Conway), to put paid to his chutzpah, unintelligence, misogyny, hatred and hubris. His lies and promises to "Make America greater than it has ever been before" are more frightening than Ozymandias's words, and the Writing On The Wall ("You have been judged and found guilty" - Mene Mene Tikal Upharsin). What our world needs now is not "a Sisterly 'No" to Donald Trump" but a great and relentless tornado to lift him from our lives.
16
Yes, the sisters are truly wonderful, and let's all add a "sisterly 'NO' to (the person who is really in charge) Steve Bannon.
10
So brave, so accomplished. So proud to be a daughter of a fellow immigrant.
6
Frank,
I am beginning to think that instead of E Pluribus Unum, the Great Seal of the United States should be inscribed with Caveat Emptor, a more accurate motto for the current direction of our country.
I am beginning to think that instead of E Pluribus Unum, the Great Seal of the United States should be inscribed with Caveat Emptor, a more accurate motto for the current direction of our country.
10
The unprecedented assaults coming from Trump have to be met with equally strong defenses of justice from all of us.
Trump's singularly cynical inauguration speech, on top of his singularly cynical campaign, was met with unprecedented rallies for our rights and values last weekend.
And on this shameful day, when refugees, fleeing for their safety and having been cleared, are detained at Kennedy, citizens are demonstrating for the refugees' rights and against his arbitrary policy.
This is barely one week in. We're going to have to be very vocal for as long as destruction has a mouthpiece in the White House.
Trump's singularly cynical inauguration speech, on top of his singularly cynical campaign, was met with unprecedented rallies for our rights and values last weekend.
And on this shameful day, when refugees, fleeing for their safety and having been cleared, are detained at Kennedy, citizens are demonstrating for the refugees' rights and against his arbitrary policy.
This is barely one week in. We're going to have to be very vocal for as long as destruction has a mouthpiece in the White House.
5
"What we’ve seen from the White House in this opening stage of the Trump administration isn’t encouraging."
Ya think?
Sometimes anger is not only appropriate; it's necessary. Sometimes looking on the bright side is sheer idiocy. Wise up and change your tone, Mr. Bruni. Get serious.
Ya think?
Sometimes anger is not only appropriate; it's necessary. Sometimes looking on the bright side is sheer idiocy. Wise up and change your tone, Mr. Bruni. Get serious.
1
Thank you to Maya her sisters, my daughter-in-law and granddaughter, my niece, my friends, and all the women and men who courageously took a stand for human rights last Saturday, it was an uplifting day, and we needed to have our spirits raised. Even the nasty, insulting reactions by the Trump supporters could not dampen my spirits in the days after the march, at least for awhile. Fast forward to today. I am anything but uplifted. Trump, with no thought to consequences, created chaos globally with his ban on travelers coming from seven mainly Muslim countries. In some cases family members could not return home here to family. People who are of viral importance to this country, scientists, Arabic interpreters, none were spared. It was a cruel abrupt move. The shock waves from this action are just now being felt. There will be more to come as nations start to rethink their relationship with us. One thought that occurred to me, is that while closing borders can keep people out, they can also keep people in. Nothing is far-fetched with this administration.
So will Trump have the inscription at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty changed to read "give me your tired, your poor as long as they are white Christians"? Or would even the tired and poor white Christians not be welcomed either? Rhetorical question. After all the tired and poor citizens of this country are already disdained by the Republicans.
It is frightening how quickly fascism is descending upon our country.
So will Trump have the inscription at the bottom of the Statue of Liberty changed to read "give me your tired, your poor as long as they are white Christians"? Or would even the tired and poor white Christians not be welcomed either? Rhetorical question. After all the tired and poor citizens of this country are already disdained by the Republicans.
It is frightening how quickly fascism is descending upon our country.
5
"Better yet, any brown country". Is this what America has come to? After generations of racial discord and division, are people of color not welcome here? Don't black and brown people have the right to be treated with common courtesy and respect? Didn't the civil rights era bind us all together as Americans united to make our country better for all citizens?
The meanness and hatred that has surfaced in support of the president is appalling. Are we incapable of welcoming people who are not white and Christian? Any brown country? Wake up, bigots. America is a melting pot, a diverse and wonderful mixing bowl of humanity from all parts of the world.
President James Monroe rode herd on the western hemisphere, warning off foreign countries from meddling in the affairs of nations in the Americas but the 45th president needs to understand that this hemisphere does not belong to him.
The meanness and hatred that has surfaced in support of the president is appalling. Are we incapable of welcoming people who are not white and Christian? Any brown country? Wake up, bigots. America is a melting pot, a diverse and wonderful mixing bowl of humanity from all parts of the world.
President James Monroe rode herd on the western hemisphere, warning off foreign countries from meddling in the affairs of nations in the Americas but the 45th president needs to understand that this hemisphere does not belong to him.
6
The first week of the Trump presidency is over and people in this country and all over the world are reeling in horror and disbelief. Our man-child leader has toddled around the halls of government for the past seven days like a demented two-year old intent on "breaking" everything within reach and not a single GOP childminder has managed to keep his tantrums in check. Ryan, McConnell, Pence, Bannon, Conway et al smile benevolently on their entitled progeny as he signs executive orders taking away healthcare, gag orders on reproductive rights, and blanket bans on immigration based mainly on religion. The GOP leaders are like the visitors to your home who keep telling you how cute and clever their child is while he's destroying your living room and the rest of your house.
19
Polls show that Trump voters are not having "buyer's remorse" and seem thrilled that he is bashing Mexico, stopping Iraqis at JFK after they performed heroic service for the United States while projecting a kind of extreme nationalism that is unnerving our allies across the world.
It wasn't a case where Trump voters were asking for jobs as much as settling scores with perceived 'enemies' fueled by AM talk radio that pushes their buttons.
Was the phrase, " Basket of Deploables" that far off the mark? I don't think so.
It wasn't a case where Trump voters were asking for jobs as much as settling scores with perceived 'enemies' fueled by AM talk radio that pushes their buttons.
Was the phrase, " Basket of Deploables" that far off the mark? I don't think so.
12
Mr Bruni, I probably vote the same as you (usually), but I have often disagreed with your arguments or your spin. But now I am wondering if the threat we face might bring us together.
The tolerance & freedom of this country didn't just happen. People died for it. It could never become a fixed reality; it can only be an aspiration & a demand that animates us & made us better. If we are now governed by a man and a party who despise those values, that is an opportunity, not a defeat.
The tolerance & freedom of this country didn't just happen. People died for it. It could never become a fixed reality; it can only be an aspiration & a demand that animates us & made us better. If we are now governed by a man and a party who despise those values, that is an opportunity, not a defeat.
6
I've always trusted that our elected officials had our countries best interests at heart. I may not always agree with their choices but never worried that our country would be damaged by them. Finding out more about the lies Bush told to justify the Iraq war bruised but didn't destroy that trust. President Obama earned it through his excellent presidency. Trump along with the Republicans have shattered that trust in less than a week.
Like your friends I attended the women's march. I even dragged my niece and roommate along with me. For the first time in my life I've emailed and called my senators and congresswoman about my concerns about Trump's cabinet. I attended a town hall with others who are more engaged than they have ever been.
We're realizing that this thing we call democracy is more fragile than we realized. Our president is nuts. The majority in the Senate and House are dancing to the whims of an extremist minority. They only care about money and power regardless of the cost for the rest of us.
We're awake now. We believe in our countries founding principles. We're willing to do the hard work to save our country.
Like your friends I attended the women's march. I even dragged my niece and roommate along with me. For the first time in my life I've emailed and called my senators and congresswoman about my concerns about Trump's cabinet. I attended a town hall with others who are more engaged than they have ever been.
We're realizing that this thing we call democracy is more fragile than we realized. Our president is nuts. The majority in the Senate and House are dancing to the whims of an extremist minority. They only care about money and power regardless of the cost for the rest of us.
We're awake now. We believe in our countries founding principles. We're willing to do the hard work to save our country.
7
Dear Mr. Bruni,
Thank you for this piece and this story about three women who represent the best in this nation. Most of us knew that Trump was dividing the country into pockets of color, gender, religion and nationality. What is remarkable is that he has managed to divide the country over what is true an what is false!
Thank you for this piece and this story about three women who represent the best in this nation. Most of us knew that Trump was dividing the country into pockets of color, gender, religion and nationality. What is remarkable is that he has managed to divide the country over what is true an what is false!
6
No one appears to blame the stupid, low-minded aging rednecks who put this man into office. They must now point the finger at their pathetic, hateful selves when their jobs don't come back and they have no more money for guns and Papa Johns.
4
So good to hear about immigrants fighting back with a positive outlook towards their adopted country. I'm having difficulty not being ashamed of the country I was born in.
We blow up the 'entire Arab world on a pretense, or make that several pretenses, upsetting the Sunni-Shea balance by toppling Hussein and create a mess that has led to tens of thousands of civilian deaths and the terrible disruption of the lives of millions.
We take no responsibility for our rash and destructive deeds and instead use a few incidents unrelated to the refugees as an excuse to do nothing for these people including all those innocent children. It is beyond disheartening- it is shameful. I am a shattered patriot.
We blow up the 'entire Arab world on a pretense, or make that several pretenses, upsetting the Sunni-Shea balance by toppling Hussein and create a mess that has led to tens of thousands of civilian deaths and the terrible disruption of the lives of millions.
We take no responsibility for our rash and destructive deeds and instead use a few incidents unrelated to the refugees as an excuse to do nothing for these people including all those innocent children. It is beyond disheartening- it is shameful. I am a shattered patriot.
6
We all need to fight back. Maybe time to think about Civil Disobedience and don't pay any Federal Taxes until the P-grabber in Chief shows his Tax Returns!
9
FYI, most Americans did not expect Trump to "pivot". That was merely the press mantra. They could engage in a strange, too often repeated, conversation about it. Easier than plunging into the real issues where they would have easily found a personal computer at ones home is not a big deal, Hillary's proposals were very progressive and Trump was 'dangerous". No, they would rather discuss endlessly whether Trump would pivot. Sad,
Yes the story you tell about the young immigrant girls is the lively story that all of our families find in their history. We have serious business to do now. Save our country from Trump and his hate-filled bigoted followers and greedy corporations and power hungry Republicans.
Yes the story you tell about the young immigrant girls is the lively story that all of our families find in their history. We have serious business to do now. Save our country from Trump and his hate-filled bigoted followers and greedy corporations and power hungry Republicans.
5
my heart is bleeding for my beloved America. I am an immigrant from one of the recently banned countries. what is happening to us? we are walking into darkness.
11
When Obama was elected, I thought the USA was finally maturing as a nation. If a black man could be elected POTUS (twice), then perhaps there was hope.
But the most recent campaign, culminating with the election of Donald Trump, was truly frightening.
I used to travel in the USA, but I will be avoiding it for the foreseeable future.
But the most recent campaign, culminating with the election of Donald Trump, was truly frightening.
I used to travel in the USA, but I will be avoiding it for the foreseeable future.
7
Tell these sisters that a White male from the South finds them admirable.
7
As a man, I guess I'll have to learn how to squat to pee...But, seriously, these women inspire hope. Cheers!
3
These are definitely not usual times which means we must work hard to speak up as often as possible. We must march, call, protest and resist each and every day. All people have a right to decent and human treatment; that is what my America stands for.
8
I think it is time to stop pretending that the clear salvo from Trump's team during the first few days of the presidency is random, and prepare for what is coming. Team Trump feels they are at war, their enemy is the press, science, and free expression. Their enemy is anyone who does not want a white Christian theocracy.
We are a very short distance away from local thugs, wearing impressive uniforms, marching around in neighborhoods, scaring people - with full sanction of the governing party.
Far fetched? Really?
Do you not remember those brave, patriotic, burly, bearded men with semi-automatic rifles protecting America from emaciated Somali women as they walked to their mosques in Texas? Well, those guys are now emboldened. They are moments away from uniforms.
Your item is noteworthy in some ways that you may not be aware of Mr. Bruni; but it was apparent to me as a person of proud Indian origin. Indians have lived in most countries in the world and carved a life for themselves without engaging much in politics. We have survived and thrived even in basket case economies of Africa, theocracies of the middle east, and tyranny of old Europe, by staying disengaged and not drawing attention to ourselves. We yearn to live free, educate the living daylights out of our children, and leave them as much money as we can.
When three Indian women feel threatened enough to protest, the canary is dead in the coal mine. At least I am paying renewed attention.
We are a very short distance away from local thugs, wearing impressive uniforms, marching around in neighborhoods, scaring people - with full sanction of the governing party.
Far fetched? Really?
Do you not remember those brave, patriotic, burly, bearded men with semi-automatic rifles protecting America from emaciated Somali women as they walked to their mosques in Texas? Well, those guys are now emboldened. They are moments away from uniforms.
Your item is noteworthy in some ways that you may not be aware of Mr. Bruni; but it was apparent to me as a person of proud Indian origin. Indians have lived in most countries in the world and carved a life for themselves without engaging much in politics. We have survived and thrived even in basket case economies of Africa, theocracies of the middle east, and tyranny of old Europe, by staying disengaged and not drawing attention to ourselves. We yearn to live free, educate the living daylights out of our children, and leave them as much money as we can.
When three Indian women feel threatened enough to protest, the canary is dead in the coal mine. At least I am paying renewed attention.
37
The Constitution states, there should not be a State religion.At the time it was written like everything else in our constitution this was the most revolutionary.It opened the door to the diversity that has made this country great. These sisters are the result of this clause.
More damaging to the twin Towers & other terrorist atrocities in America is the fear that Trump has installed in us concerning people of color & different religions & cultures, Trump has trampled on our constitution, by using these people as Scapegoats.More then anything else this is what makes him a demagogue, and a danger to our constitution, & country.
I was encouraged by the support of Americans to the immigrants that were bared from entering our country simply because of their origin, our forefathers must be turning over in their graves.
More damaging to the twin Towers & other terrorist atrocities in America is the fear that Trump has installed in us concerning people of color & different religions & cultures, Trump has trampled on our constitution, by using these people as Scapegoats.More then anything else this is what makes him a demagogue, and a danger to our constitution, & country.
I was encouraged by the support of Americans to the immigrants that were bared from entering our country simply because of their origin, our forefathers must be turning over in their graves.
16
While the women's march was huge and hugely successful and I support it wholeheartedly, we must look elsewhere in the very near-term for relief from the madness in the White House. One hopes that the march and movement will evolve into a relevant, strong and purposeful organization, but two truths need to be recognized: One, a movement such as this needs a long lifespan in order to create, maintain and finally implement its power. The civil rights movement was not an overnight march into history but eventually prevailed; Occupy Wall Street is still visible but has not "captured" the public's backing. This new effort needs women to continue its effort, but needs people from all stripes to support it; and it needs to find a path to power through some powerful "champion". Secondly, to thwart and ultimately defeat the scourge that is Trump, in the short term we will have to rely on the courts to block actions, such as just happened in the immigration debacle. The fear of the coming appointment to the Supreme Court is real, but we must hope and vocally act to insist on rational decisions by that court. Perhaps the hope there is that those permanent appointments will work exactly because they are "permanent", and not subject to the spinelessness as shown by the Republican Congress "persons"...please insert your own term there. So the hope is twofold - strong public stances and movements, bolstered by rational rulings by our court system.
11
Not once in your post did you acknowledge the problems of working class whites, especially those who were born in the country and are not able to emigrate, since other countries do not have open borders.
This is an example of what makes America great.
I am saddened by President Trumps actions towards immigrants. I did vote for him. I support in general a belief that America was betrayed by the Democratic Party. I welcome the debate about this issue and I hope liberal values survive--we must fight for them.
My family sponsored an Afghan immigrant family in 1980. They were wonderful people and I am proud of our contribution to them and their contribution to this country.
I am saddened but I am not ashamed. Look at the countries where these people come from. I have lived in these countries and understand that America is the land of opportunity. I also see America's faults.
Let the conflict continue among us as Americans understanding that free-speech, listening, desire to understand the other side are all important.
I am saddened by President Trumps actions towards immigrants. I did vote for him. I support in general a belief that America was betrayed by the Democratic Party. I welcome the debate about this issue and I hope liberal values survive--we must fight for them.
My family sponsored an Afghan immigrant family in 1980. They were wonderful people and I am proud of our contribution to them and their contribution to this country.
I am saddened but I am not ashamed. Look at the countries where these people come from. I have lived in these countries and understand that America is the land of opportunity. I also see America's faults.
Let the conflict continue among us as Americans understanding that free-speech, listening, desire to understand the other side are all important.
7
We have a stark set of choices in front of us and I will do everything in my power to choose and support those who choose:
Humanity over Nationality;
Hope over Despair;
Justice over Injustice;
Respect over Humiliation;
Knowledge over Ignorance;
Truth over Lies;
Peace over War;
And Love over Hatred;
For all the claims about being disenfranchised and forgotten, those who voted for Trump know exactly what they were doing. And those who stayed at home, pretending false equivalencies, have let the not-so-silent minority pretend that they are the so-called silent majority. Those who voted for Trump have and will always choose the opposite of what we would and should choose. That much should be clear to everyone by now and was always clear to those among us to never fit the dominant paradigm that fit Mr. Trump's narrative of "real Americans". For the record, I am an Indian American, I am a woman, and my husband and I pay job lots of taxes and we are happy to do so.
Humanity over Nationality;
Hope over Despair;
Justice over Injustice;
Respect over Humiliation;
Knowledge over Ignorance;
Truth over Lies;
Peace over War;
And Love over Hatred;
For all the claims about being disenfranchised and forgotten, those who voted for Trump know exactly what they were doing. And those who stayed at home, pretending false equivalencies, have let the not-so-silent minority pretend that they are the so-called silent majority. Those who voted for Trump have and will always choose the opposite of what we would and should choose. That much should be clear to everyone by now and was always clear to those among us to never fit the dominant paradigm that fit Mr. Trump's narrative of "real Americans". For the record, I am an Indian American, I am a woman, and my husband and I pay job lots of taxes and we are happy to do so.
29
..."the total objectification of people who were different than he (trump)is..." or as the basketeer h(r)c also had them, forever objectified, some among them "irredeemable."
wake up america, none of the politicals we've trusted or elected have done us any favors, the mess the world is in, (no disagreement there), was not made by trump, the divisions that are now tearing at what we call the fabric or the foundation of our democracy have been exacerbated to the point of
alienation by pretrump presidents and congresses and the special interests they serve, some of which have actually subverted the processes by which we choose and elect candidates (the hit on bernie still need more thorough parsing).
so trump may not be the answer but he is not the problem either, we got here because we were complacent and easy marks for slicker presences and smoother voices...now we have trump, and in effect, the government (jefferson informs) we deserve....we can continue to weep and moan or we can get past the fire, aim mentality of the current press and protest and actually pick a target, aim, and fire at will, til we hit it.
an example: no one denies that one of the major problems of early education, only one, but a big one, is that lots of kids are not ready, nourished and healthy enough, to meet the demands of a school day..we could end this tomorrow, a presidential order backed by the can-do resolve of a once-upon-a-time america would do it...difficult sure, but not complicated.
wake up america, none of the politicals we've trusted or elected have done us any favors, the mess the world is in, (no disagreement there), was not made by trump, the divisions that are now tearing at what we call the fabric or the foundation of our democracy have been exacerbated to the point of
alienation by pretrump presidents and congresses and the special interests they serve, some of which have actually subverted the processes by which we choose and elect candidates (the hit on bernie still need more thorough parsing).
so trump may not be the answer but he is not the problem either, we got here because we were complacent and easy marks for slicker presences and smoother voices...now we have trump, and in effect, the government (jefferson informs) we deserve....we can continue to weep and moan or we can get past the fire, aim mentality of the current press and protest and actually pick a target, aim, and fire at will, til we hit it.
an example: no one denies that one of the major problems of early education, only one, but a big one, is that lots of kids are not ready, nourished and healthy enough, to meet the demands of a school day..we could end this tomorrow, a presidential order backed by the can-do resolve of a once-upon-a-time america would do it...difficult sure, but not complicated.
11
When will we hold parents responsible for their kids not being ready, healthy and nourished enough?
If Trump and his enablers are not removed or at least neutered, I fear the rise of a police state mentality in which Trump and far too many Republicans will seek to retain power and impose their will by loosely disguised domestic enforcement activity. Nixon's enemies list and Trump's prospective Muslim list, and his own enemies list (as essentially threatened during his campaign), presage creation of other lists that by further dividing us from one another will clearly damage our social fabric and contract. How strong is our republic? How much more tension can it take and survive?
23
A sisterly "no" is certain for the duration of this presidency. The assault on our rights will be ongoing.
And we're dealing with his atrocious discriminatory immigration policy.
Now today we learn more disturbing information:
Turns out Trump dumped our joint chiefs of staff from the National Security Council.
Instead, Trump signed an order that installed his un-elected sidekick ans ideologue Breitbart fake newsman Steve Bannon on the Security Council.
This is the primary group that advises Trump.
We're reminded that our experienced state department officials from the Obama administration were already purged by Trump.
We know from Bannon himself that he follows white nationalist philosophies of Alexander Dugin, who is Vladmir Putin's influence as to ideology.
Bannon has recently said "Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that's my goal, too. I want to bring everything crashing down."
We, women and men, need to say no to this as well.
And we're dealing with his atrocious discriminatory immigration policy.
Now today we learn more disturbing information:
Turns out Trump dumped our joint chiefs of staff from the National Security Council.
Instead, Trump signed an order that installed his un-elected sidekick ans ideologue Breitbart fake newsman Steve Bannon on the Security Council.
This is the primary group that advises Trump.
We're reminded that our experienced state department officials from the Obama administration were already purged by Trump.
We know from Bannon himself that he follows white nationalist philosophies of Alexander Dugin, who is Vladmir Putin's influence as to ideology.
Bannon has recently said "Lenin wanted to destroy the state, and that's my goal, too. I want to bring everything crashing down."
We, women and men, need to say no to this as well.
32
It made me cry to read the nasty posts these brave women received at their social media accounts. I guess I live a sheltered life - hard for me to fathom that we have so many crude, mean people living among us. I appreciate these sisters so much for taking action, and thanks to Frank Bruni for writing the article.
33
It is wonderful to see people engaging in the discourse for the first time.Sadly, the sight of a diverse group protesting works to Trump's advantage given that his supporters don't see these people as "real"Americans.Those of us familiar with the depth and breadth of the 20th century US eugenics movement can't help but feel that we are witnessing it's principles at work both in Trump's vision and many of those who elected him.
9
This xenophobia and fear of the other is very distressing. But it is not going to win. America is a land of immigrants and it will continue to be. Trump and his minions think that by scaring people and making edicts more in line with fascism will turn the tide to their belief of white nationalism. The tide has turned already. The non white population is statistically growing larger every day. Trump is one week in and he is stumbling already. Unstable people eventually do unstable things. So hang on, the ride may be bumpy, but we shall overcome.
31
Apparently the pro-Trump trolls and haters in the comment sections, on social media and news media alike, believe that their heated insults will intimidate us snowflakes into melting. Au contraire! They have misunderestimated our icy resolve. The more they harass and antagonize decent people, the more growing numbers of Sisters will stand together in our pink hats to demand what's right.
56
Sorry, Woodstock. I have read many, many vile and insulting comments about Trump supporters in the very comment sections of the NYT from its "all embrasive, all inclusive" readers. They believe that the heated insults from the left will initimidate us into retreating. They have misunderestimated our resolve, just as they misunderestimated Trump's support. Harass and antogonize decent people? Are you talking about the vile woman thrown off an airplane for going balistic on a decent person who happened to support Trump? Are you talking about the two "gentlmen' who insulted Ivanka on another flight? Are you taking about methusala Madonna who thinks about blowing up the White House? Please, hate is a two way street.
I've yet to read an article which addresses the fact we've had poor controls around our borders for decades which has allowed millions of undocumented aliens into our country. We are all immigrants - my grandparents came from Eastern Europe at the turn of the century - legally. It's wasn't easy to become an U.S. citizen - however, they wanted to be Americans. They worked hard and earned the right to be in this country. It's going to be challenging to begin processing aliens so they can live here legally as citizens. But we must do it; we can't continue to ignore the law in these days of global terrorism. It's not, in the long term, in the best interests of our nation. Unfortunately, the longer you wait to fix a problem, the more difficult it becomes to solve. We can no longer wait to strengthen our borders, the time is now. I also believe it can be done with sensitivity to those who need our help. We will be there for them, and we have the knowledge and expertise to do it the right way.
7
Most of us who are descendants of immigrants believe our ancestors immigrated legally. That said, most of our ancestors came to the US as undocumented people with no immigration papers. None were required or issued. They simply arrived at Ellis Island, or other ports, and were inspected and allowed into the country, unless they fell into an excluded category.
In that sense, most of us are descended from undocumented immigrants because prior to the early 20th century, there were few Federal restrictions on immigration. Many of our immigrant ancestors would not be permitted into the US under current immigration law. In other words, if current laws had been in effect when your ancestors were immigrating, you probably wouldn't be an American. Food for thought...
In that sense, most of us are descended from undocumented immigrants because prior to the early 20th century, there were few Federal restrictions on immigration. Many of our immigrant ancestors would not be permitted into the US under current immigration law. In other words, if current laws had been in effect when your ancestors were immigrating, you probably wouldn't be an American. Food for thought...
22
Sensitivity? Don't hold your breath. These orders apply equally to "terrorists" and to Legal. long time residents with green cards, some on their way to full citizenship. They can no longer travel abroad and be let back in the country, in fact there are thousands of these people stranded around the world. The question is "Who will be Next?"
Hard to become an American citizen? Perhaps you should read up on your history. Until the early 1900s, all you had to do was show up to a county/state govt office and declare that you were here. No questions asked and you were then declared a citizen. That's what my relatives did. A small percentage of immigrants went through Ellis Island and even then if you weren't ill and moneyless they let you through. There were very few immigration laws until the early 1900s and they only dealt with Chinese laborers.
1
Is it not clear to all paying attention that it is the United States that disrupted the relative stability of the Arab-Persian world. That we broke it, and our aggressive intervention led to hundreds of thousands of civilian casualties and millions of refugees having to abandon their homes and livings to save their lives and the lives or their children.
As a nation we are clearly guilty, whatever our intentions and regardless of those of us, like Obama (not Trump), who publicly spoke out against the intervention before it happened, and not after things turned south.
Now Trump wants to pile it on and give these people more reason to hate us instead of taking some responsibility for our sins and our idiocy.
The rest of the world may find our behavior disgusting but Isis loves Trump.
As a nation we are clearly guilty, whatever our intentions and regardless of those of us, like Obama (not Trump), who publicly spoke out against the intervention before it happened, and not after things turned south.
Now Trump wants to pile it on and give these people more reason to hate us instead of taking some responsibility for our sins and our idiocy.
The rest of the world may find our behavior disgusting but Isis loves Trump.
57
So true; so well said.
As with everything US attitudes and policies must adapt to the changing world. We used to be an empty country where physical labor was valuable. We are now over populated especially with low capability individuals. Our federal government is bankrupt and we can't adequately maintain our infrastructure. We don't have resources for these immigrants no matter where they come from or what they are fleeing. Mexicans, Syrians, etc. Now we can assist them to be safe in their home countries or regions.
7
The population density of the United States as a whole is 33,7/km2. ... The average population density of the entire European Union, including a lot of Eastern European countries most Americans couldn't find on a map, is about the same as that of France, 116.2/km2; 3.5 times as high as the US average.
19
As a professional investor, I believe the productivity of the average immigrant family over a generation would be higher than that of an average American family. In my experience, they often work harder and "need" far less. New immigrants helped build this country in the past, and they'll do so in the future. We have room, and we need them.
23
Overpopulated? You must be kidding. Our federal government is hardly bankrupt despite our low tax rates, especially on the highest incomes. We have plenty of resources to shelter those who are fleeing tyranny--we simply have too many people willing to vote for a racist president.
21
The election of Trump was an affront to all women and men of integrity and wisdom. For women, it was personal. Like the Rao sisters, so many of us had never marched before. But we are frightened, we are angry and we are hurt. We are afraid of Trump. Even more, we are afraid of all the republicans who support him and appease him. We will do all we can do to resist them. We also demand that our democratic leaders stand firmly, loudly, convincingly and passionately with us.
77
Well said, especially the sentence. We have seen too much weakness from our democratic leaders already. Enough.
Everything these sisters said resonates with me. I heard the campaign rhetoric and was disturbed. Now I see what is happening in the first days of the administration and I am both frightened -- about a whole host of short term and long term consequences -- and emboldened. I find myself impelled to take actions, including marching in the streets for the first time in my life, that I never had a spare moment or inclination for during my former reality of 'merely' attending to kids, spouse, home and taking care of clients. Suddenly so much seems at risk.
57
Millions of Americans across the country have demonstrated for the first time. Millions of Americans across the country have opened their wallets and are making sustaining contributions to liberal organizations for the first time. Millions of Americans are reading or re-reading "1984" and "The Origins of Totalitarianism". If my experience with my Congresswoman and two California Senators is anything to go by, millions of Americans are calling their elected Democratic representatives to demand total opposition to this shameful administration.
And what do we millions have in common? None of us voted for Trump, we all want him gone, we're ashamed of what our country has become, and we will resist until he's gone.
And what do we millions have in common? None of us voted for Trump, we all want him gone, we're ashamed of what our country has become, and we will resist until he's gone.
107
The spontaneous protests and citizen engagement we're seeing as Trump scribbles his name on an Executive Order, that bans an entire religion from entering the U.S., is nothing short of the brave and freedom loving American spirit in action. I couldn't be more proud as we rise up in support of fairness and equality for all. I hope the Media will give as much coverage and publicity to this growing movement of discontent as they did early on giving this demagogue an inordinate amount of time and discussion to promote his platform of hate, divisiveness, and fear. We the people are doing our job, I hope the media does theirs.
63
I applaud these women and all of the women and men who marched in Washington and anywhere else in the world to protest the hatred and narcissism of our new president and his running mate. The only silver lining to all of this hatred is for ordinary Americans like me - and like these three sisters, my friends, my neighbors - to march and to contact our legislators - the old fashioned way - by phone or snail mail. We must express our outrage in every way we can. Congress needs to understand that Trump and Pence have created a movement the likes of which this country has not seen since the 1770s. Like those early patriots, we love this country and will fight for what it stands for.
46
I am proud of these women and ashamed that this man got elected. How did we get here?
Was it Citizens United? An irony that took the sway of government from its citizens and handed it to corporations. It is a huge factor, but it is only one vile component.
Is it the conservative Republicans who, under the auspices of the Koch Bros.' brainchild, The Tea Party,
chipped away at democracy? Again, we have another vile component.
Is it the Fourth Estate who worried more about entertaining us than informing us? Certainly, the media has a large share of the blame. I have read some half-hearted apologies, but no true change of heart. This article points out the roots of the historic Women's March, but does not say enough about its implications or significance. Americans were distracted by the media who did not do their jobs and scoffed, rolled their eyes and assured the public that Donald Trump could not become our President. Hillary was still predicted to win by over 80% on election night. Only 25% of registered voters chose him; 26% chose Clinton. 2 million voters did not vote for a presidential candidate, and millions more voted third party. If Trump's presidency were reported as a real possibility, would that have changed?
Patriotic Americans care about posterity and will join those who are and will resist. We do not need a wall; we need to take action. Tyranny is not defeated by being reasonable, but by being resolute. "No" to all his nominees and legislation. RESIST!
Was it Citizens United? An irony that took the sway of government from its citizens and handed it to corporations. It is a huge factor, but it is only one vile component.
Is it the conservative Republicans who, under the auspices of the Koch Bros.' brainchild, The Tea Party,
chipped away at democracy? Again, we have another vile component.
Is it the Fourth Estate who worried more about entertaining us than informing us? Certainly, the media has a large share of the blame. I have read some half-hearted apologies, but no true change of heart. This article points out the roots of the historic Women's March, but does not say enough about its implications or significance. Americans were distracted by the media who did not do their jobs and scoffed, rolled their eyes and assured the public that Donald Trump could not become our President. Hillary was still predicted to win by over 80% on election night. Only 25% of registered voters chose him; 26% chose Clinton. 2 million voters did not vote for a presidential candidate, and millions more voted third party. If Trump's presidency were reported as a real possibility, would that have changed?
Patriotic Americans care about posterity and will join those who are and will resist. We do not need a wall; we need to take action. Tyranny is not defeated by being reasonable, but by being resolute. "No" to all his nominees and legislation. RESIST!
73
None of those things are the root cause. The actual issue was covered in this paper recently. Is the US government to look after the things that benefit its citizens, or are all humans around the world equal in getting protection and benefits. Many believe the federal government should work for citizens first and since we have no resources to actually do that we have none for immigrants from any country that do not bring capability that we need. If you are a globalist please donate your excessive wealth to assist them directly don't use my country.
5
We have plenty of resources to provide for our citizens and still help out globally. We are the richest country in the world by far and could raise significantly more revenue without it affecting the economy. Plenty of individuals with significant income pay no taxes (e.g. Donald Dump). Instead we choose to focus on hard power military when soft power spending is a much better use of funds.
25
I guess we should all stay in our bunkers with our own cans of tuna fish and cans of beans. Citizenship does not mean ignore the world; this country is founded on great traditions and principles which include our connection to the global community and is responsive to our own needs, yes, but also the needs of others. We can do both, if we have good leadership. If we only focus on "America First" America will be in serious decline.
I was one of the many men who joined the women's march to show my support. I was overwhelmed by how energizing the experience was. Some dismiss protests like this as doing nothing to change the system. But what I witnessed was empowering an irresistible force that has already led to massive follow-up. My hope and belief is that Congress will have never experienced anything like it. As Trump's approval ratings sink into the 30s Republicans in Congress must be terrified that they are joined at the hip with a madman. They know that if 80 million of us show up at the polls to vote in 2018, their existence as a significant political party will be history. How soon will the rats begin jumping ship?
62
I agree, but we need to give positive feedback, maybe some candy or M and M's, to any "rats" who jump ship. Especially the first ones!
I attended the march in DC. Yes, with all of our mixed identities we were indeed ONE on that day. Nothing like this has occurred on a single day around the world. Rather than competing over issues, we all seemed to recognize the universal principles of love and kindness. Accidentally hitting people with signs was met with "no worries" as we packed in together. I have marched for decades for feminist and progressive causes, and I have never experienced anything like this. Men were there in large numbers to stand against misogyny and sexism. It gives me hope. At the same time, we have much more work to do. Charles Blow reminds us that the Enlightenment should not cave to the Inquisition. We do not need to compromise our values of equality and kindness. We need to continue to model them. More people will join us then.
52
I am a second generation American citizen who's grandparents from both sides migrated from Europe. They left their homeland seeking a better life, A life lifting them out of poverty and fear. I am one of the many fortunate citizens whose lineage was welcomed into the United Sates. My gratitude and respect is only heightened for I and my children now live the life they had the courage to pursue.
I say to your friends do not give up, fight back. The actions of this narcissist president do not represent the voice of We the People. Sadly we became too complacent and were blind-sighted the morning it was announced he won. Lesson learned. My voice and millions of your fellow citizens are in the fight with you. DO NOT give up hope for We will prevail. We will.
I say to your friends do not give up, fight back. The actions of this narcissist president do not represent the voice of We the People. Sadly we became too complacent and were blind-sighted the morning it was announced he won. Lesson learned. My voice and millions of your fellow citizens are in the fight with you. DO NOT give up hope for We will prevail. We will.
57
You will not prevail as long as the Electoral College makes voting in presidential elections a stupid, insulting, and demeaning waste of time for most voters.
What a beautiful story! There are so many stories like this all around America.
I also went to march with other women despite my recent fight against cancer. I am also an immigrant - a mixture of many bloods. Was born in Siberia. My grandfather was A Swedish engineer who was sent to GULAG by Stalin and spent the rest of his short life in Siberia where he was literally saved by my Russian grandmother. My mother is half Jewish, half Ukrainian.
I loved this country to tears. It makes me so proud to be part of its people. I work with refugees in Baltimore City Schools with an international team of educators. They are my family.
It hurts so much to see what the new president does to my beloved country.
It only took him a week!!!
My only hope is that there are more of us than his followers. Let's not despair and stand up against tyranny together. In Pluribus Unum.
I also went to march with other women despite my recent fight against cancer. I am also an immigrant - a mixture of many bloods. Was born in Siberia. My grandfather was A Swedish engineer who was sent to GULAG by Stalin and spent the rest of his short life in Siberia where he was literally saved by my Russian grandmother. My mother is half Jewish, half Ukrainian.
I loved this country to tears. It makes me so proud to be part of its people. I work with refugees in Baltimore City Schools with an international team of educators. They are my family.
It hurts so much to see what the new president does to my beloved country.
It only took him a week!!!
My only hope is that there are more of us than his followers. Let's not despair and stand up against tyranny together. In Pluribus Unum.
88
Menendez and Booker are both the worst NJ has to offer. We are living in very different, violent times and we must know who is coming to the U.S. Refugees cannot continue to pour into this country and strain our social services and resources. There are laws in this country for a reason. No other country would enable the havoc these dissents are demonstrating. And it is not the feelings of the entire country that these people pour into the U.S.
7
No one is disputing the fact that National security is of paramount importance and that extreme but fair vetting is ok. But then, there is a right way to do things and then, there is the wrong way. What Trump has unleashed on the world is impulsive and malicious. It will only earn us more enemies.
62
Please check out who it is that is straining the social services; it is not the refugees. Unlike most of the under-employed or out of work Trump voters, the immigrants and refugees move to where the jobs are and become employed tax paying productive members.
25
Again, fast and loose with facts. We already have a rigorous vetting process for immigrants. They are not "pouring in" willy nilly.
Personally, my people have all been here since the 1700's, some since the 1600's. How wonderful that other immigrants since have brought new talent and energy and enthusiasm - they have made America much greater than it would have been.
Personally, my people have all been here since the 1700's, some since the 1600's. How wonderful that other immigrants since have brought new talent and energy and enthusiasm - they have made America much greater than it would have been.
32
I never really did much protesting either until last week, when I went to the march.
As someone who grew up biracial, I regretted that I missed all of the protests of the 1960s. I remember being a teenager and reading books like "Whatever Happened to the Class of '65" and "Loose Change," wishing that my generation had something to protest. But it was the late 70s and nothing much was happening in my high school.
When I came out as lesbian, I did join Pride marches but they were mostly celebratory by the late 1990s (although we certainly had much to fight for). Then I moved out of NYC and focused on changing careers. I did attend a women's march in 2004 that was barely covered by the press although Hillary spoke. However, it didn't have the urgency of what happened last week.
That's because of Trump. When I heard about the Women's March, I definitely had to go. My wife and I went down to DC and it was great. I feel that we have to resist because otherwise Trump and the people surrounding him will take away so much. My (same-sex) marriage. My home. My America.
So yes, I will march for myself and others.
But the Democrats have to nominate people who are going to EXCITE the large numbers of us who want change. Obama was one. Bernie was another. We need DYNAMIC PEOPLE.
And we need to keep marching.
As someone who grew up biracial, I regretted that I missed all of the protests of the 1960s. I remember being a teenager and reading books like "Whatever Happened to the Class of '65" and "Loose Change," wishing that my generation had something to protest. But it was the late 70s and nothing much was happening in my high school.
When I came out as lesbian, I did join Pride marches but they were mostly celebratory by the late 1990s (although we certainly had much to fight for). Then I moved out of NYC and focused on changing careers. I did attend a women's march in 2004 that was barely covered by the press although Hillary spoke. However, it didn't have the urgency of what happened last week.
That's because of Trump. When I heard about the Women's March, I definitely had to go. My wife and I went down to DC and it was great. I feel that we have to resist because otherwise Trump and the people surrounding him will take away so much. My (same-sex) marriage. My home. My America.
So yes, I will march for myself and others.
But the Democrats have to nominate people who are going to EXCITE the large numbers of us who want change. Obama was one. Bernie was another. We need DYNAMIC PEOPLE.
And we need to keep marching.
48
An unexciting candidate more likely to act in the interests of the majority, such as Mrs. Clinton, should be far preferable to one with bling. Time fot good ol` USA to grow up.
1
The Republicans are bound and determined to keep US politics such an ugly cesspool of psychopathology that good people cannot be recruited to run for public offices.
1
Perhaps a silver lining to the maelstrom of this past is that it has awoken the the kind of patriotism that Lady Liberty represents and shaken us out of our lethargy. When things are just a little bit off-kilter, we go about our comfortable lives without understanding that tremors are harbingers of massive and destructive killer quakes. But now the tremors are of such magnitude that the we are understanding our personal responsibility to leave our comfortable armchairs to protect the the rights that we have taken for granted. Right now we still have power of the press. We still have the right (and obviously the numbers) to join in lawful protest. We still have the right to vote...and I remind you, there are local elections and the mid-terms that can make a difference. We need mayors like Marty Walsh who represent their constituents and do what is right. We need Senators like Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Chuck Schumer, Sherrod Brown. We need Congressional representatives like Ilhan Omar and Seth Moulton. I hope that the same spirit that inspired these sisters, the other 1.5 million men & women from the Women's March...and even The March for Life (life is more than gestation) will step forward for registration drives & encourage more than 60% of participation at the polls. And I also hope that our media doesn't fall for the lure of Trumpish headlines but gives us facts to make conscientious decisions.
45
Unfortunately, the March for Life people will antagonize we people who are on the other side of this very important issue.
I don't know the figures, but I'd say that there are more women who want to keep abortion legal. I will not join hands with anyone who wants to interfere with my or my worldwide sisters' personal choices about our very own bodies.
Your little parenthetical nonsense about life being "more than gestation" -- whatever that means -- has set my teeth on edge before I've even had a peek at all the moronic and vicious things Mr. Trump has done and said since yesterday.
You do your thing with your marches, Ms. Dragonfly. I'll join hands with my own good people.
I don't know the figures, but I'd say that there are more women who want to keep abortion legal. I will not join hands with anyone who wants to interfere with my or my worldwide sisters' personal choices about our very own bodies.
Your little parenthetical nonsense about life being "more than gestation" -- whatever that means -- has set my teeth on edge before I've even had a peek at all the moronic and vicious things Mr. Trump has done and said since yesterday.
You do your thing with your marches, Ms. Dragonfly. I'll join hands with my own good people.
We keep blaming the Democrats -- they didn't do this, they didn't do that, they didn't engage Trump voters and on. But, we have always had people who voted in opposition to whatever president, senator or representative was elected to serve. Voters have a choice and they also have the choice to inform themselves. We have to consider that there are many people who do not want to take responsibility for their actions -- that is, they get up, want to get through the day and they don't want to take on larger issues. It requires time, reflection and yes, a certain degree of social and schooled literacy and it is not everybody's interest to do either. But, they are now complicit because of their decision to be told what they wanted to hear and buying the marketing rather than even making a cursory foray into understanding facts about Trump and Bannon. Trump is the dupe -- Bannon is educated, observant and defiant. Trump is weak, illiterate and blustering. This was the perfect storm -- Ryan/McConnell who wanted to see their ideology realized, a cycle in which a conservative Congress wanted to push back against human and civil rights and the current global instability in which Putin is pushing his authoritarian agenda. Gerrymandering, outside influence, obstructionism now have had their day. One week of Trump has laid the cards on the table. Let's join with these protesters and raise our voices of Democracy by engaging with the disruption of decency, not carnage.
240
Spot on. But you forgot to mention Pence. He's further to the right of McConnell & Ryan, always looks like a sick puppy in love with Trump and he's their dupe. The whole scene is horrifying.
1
Trump's down and out nihilist supporters take personal responsibility for nothing.
Watergate demonstrated how abuse of presidential power can devastate our country politically, socially and economically. Nixon had to be stopped; in retrospect, impeachment proceedings by the House should have commenced much earlier. Hopefully, we have learned our lesson and will actively and diligently oppose Donald Trump’s disastrous initiatives. He has already given us ample evidence of his destructive potential. Conceivably, unless stopped, Trump might govern as an autocrat, often ignoring the rule of law and the Constitution; impose religious tests on immigrants and torture terrorist suspects; reduce federal prosecutors to his personal agents of grievance and revenge; repeal Obamacare with no commensurate replacement; drastically underfund scientific research, institutions of the arts and humanities, and public broadcasting; increase the risk of climate change becoming a global catastrophe; severely compromise the quality and scope of health care; punish women committing abortion and, generally, set back women’s rights; seriously degrade protection of civil rights; damage NAFTA and NATO; unleash forces of racism; ensure, via a Scalia-like appointment, the Supreme Court’s endorsement of his agenda; strengthen and broaden voter-suppression measures; severely tighten immigration; encourage rampant nationalism and chauvinism.
57
With all due respect to this family, this is the problem with the democratic party. Their message reaches to college graduates who have the luxury of options and stable home lives. They also live in denser metropolitan areas with denser markets. One business doesn't keep their towns going. It also reaches people who have strong ethnic identities or are extremely poor.
It does not reach the vast middle class who found hope in Donald Trump as their men can't get a start in the old labor market, the women have children with little hope of marriage, and substance abuse ravages both men and women. Realize that Billy Joel wrote 'Allentown' 30 years ago. So while that town has bounced back, many have gone through multiple cycles of hope only to be taken down lower. I was fascinated by the women who entered politics for the first time to support Trump and organize, the flip side of the complacency of Hillary voters.
It does not reach the vast middle class who found hope in Donald Trump as their men can't get a start in the old labor market, the women have children with little hope of marriage, and substance abuse ravages both men and women. Realize that Billy Joel wrote 'Allentown' 30 years ago. So while that town has bounced back, many have gone through multiple cycles of hope only to be taken down lower. I was fascinated by the women who entered politics for the first time to support Trump and organize, the flip side of the complacency of Hillary voters.
13
Don't they see that Trump is only offering false hopes, doing them a great disservice by keeping them in old economy jobs while the rest of the world is swiftly moving towards new economy. He is doing zilch for their dopey kids by repealing Obamacare and replacing with God knows what. The last nail on the coffin for Trump voters will be Betsy DeVos who will destroy public schools, leaving them with no hope and no future. Trump voters will pay the biggest price for his policies as they are the least resilient. Trump just took advantage of their gullibility to fulfill his megalomaniac dream of becoming president. We deserve the government we get, more so for Trump voters.
54
With all due respect to your "vast middle class" reference, I'm the most middle class person around, and I've got a graduate degree and a satisfying professional. I grew up in a part of the country (don't live there anymore) where there was little respect for the benefits of education. People made fun of those of us that liked "book learning." I was bullied and teased for my intense behavior at school, and now I'm supposed to feel guilty because they didn't study and get themselves out?
117
You don't have to feel personally guilty of anything. But for better or worse, many Americans don't function at higher than a 5th grade level. Also they don't make a distinction between entertainment and politics and believe entertainers are the characters they play. (Although some educated people do that as well. Mary Tyler Moore was not Mary Richards). Marketers know to not talk above the 5th grade level and unfortunately politicians have to that for certain markets.
11
Mr. Trump is a classic huckster.
He plays on the fears, anxieties and paranoia of the uneducated working class
white folks.
Who else would listen to "alternative facts" statements.
That one's a keeper for the ages.
Now that he's finagled his way into the White House he's finding that real decisions have to be made.
Oh the decisions he's making!
He can's ride along on the wings right wing rhetoric anymore.
Events are not going well for the Donald.
Every day a new outrage.
I doubt that he'll make it through a full term.
You can elect a clown into office but once there---he's still a clown.
He plays on the fears, anxieties and paranoia of the uneducated working class
white folks.
Who else would listen to "alternative facts" statements.
That one's a keeper for the ages.
Now that he's finagled his way into the White House he's finding that real decisions have to be made.
Oh the decisions he's making!
He can's ride along on the wings right wing rhetoric anymore.
Events are not going well for the Donald.
Every day a new outrage.
I doubt that he'll make it through a full term.
You can elect a clown into office but once there---he's still a clown.
117
The only positive thing I see coming out of Trump is the possibility that his Presidency will inspire a counter-movement that will, finally, crush the Republican Party once and for all. Because Trump is the logical progression of where the GOP has been going since the 1960s. Trump is just the GOP id, given life. He says openly what many Republicans believe privately. The party needs to be annihilated.
If that doesn't work out, then I hope the sisters and their families will consider moving to Canada. We need more people like them and they will be welcome.
If that doesn't work out, then I hope the sisters and their families will consider moving to Canada. We need more people like them and they will be welcome.
223
My thoughts exactly. These ladies could fit most anywhere in Canada. We do still have some racists and xenophobes, but it isn't rampant as in my SW Florida gated winter get away. The pity of it is that these lily white folks consider themselves to be "good Christian Americans". On the map, these folks are pretty much from the big red blotch in the midst of the two blue stripes.
It is probably my imagination, (or perhaps, my hope) that when these people won't speak of the recent election disaster. it is out of shear embarrassment.
It is probably my imagination, (or perhaps, my hope) that when these people won't speak of the recent election disaster. it is out of shear embarrassment.
17
Is Canada accepting immigrants? I want to stay in America and fight but if it gets really bad we may need somewhere to go.
7
As a fellow Indian - American, I can understand the feelings of Maya, Meera and Mythili. Perhaps, our collective fear is - 'what if this ban is extended to us and our families too in the future?'. After all, India has a sizable Muslim presence too and has been affected by Islamic terrorism in the past and still faces a real threat in certain parts of the country.
As someone living in Silicon Valley, I have seen the contributions that highly educated Indian Americans have made to the world of technology. And to suddenly face uncertainty about our future, in the face of certain executive orders, is highly demoralizing and breaks the very foundation of America - the land that has provided great opportunities to great minds from all over the world to invent, innovate and succeed.
I am certain I am echoing the feelings of every immigrant in this country today, regardless of whether they are from an Islamic state or not.
As someone living in Silicon Valley, I have seen the contributions that highly educated Indian Americans have made to the world of technology. And to suddenly face uncertainty about our future, in the face of certain executive orders, is highly demoralizing and breaks the very foundation of America - the land that has provided great opportunities to great minds from all over the world to invent, innovate and succeed.
I am certain I am echoing the feelings of every immigrant in this country today, regardless of whether they are from an Islamic state or not.
67
When did Trump indicate a "pivot" to a post-campaign, post-election presidential phase? I missed that. Why would you think that?
A lot of people have been asleep at the wheel for the last 8 years while far-right conservatives locked up over two-thirds of state legislatures and governorships, the U.S. House and Senate, the Presidency, and very soon the U.S. Supreme Court. I will believe that those who sat on their thumbs before the election and are now appalled by Trump's ascendency will actually do anything concrete about it when I see it. Twitter and Facebook and book clubs are not going to beat him and his ilk.
A lot of people have been asleep at the wheel for the last 8 years while far-right conservatives locked up over two-thirds of state legislatures and governorships, the U.S. House and Senate, the Presidency, and very soon the U.S. Supreme Court. I will believe that those who sat on their thumbs before the election and are now appalled by Trump's ascendency will actually do anything concrete about it when I see it. Twitter and Facebook and book clubs are not going to beat him and his ilk.
31
Duane Coyle, what you say here is important. Concomitant to that, most people think "politics" are dirty and don't like to hear about it, they're too busy on social media and "trending" etc. They let the real dirty fighters win by refusing to understand the hard work involved in government where compromise is necessary. Warriors with rockstar crowds, attired in shiny "purity", can attack pragmatists, but it is the pragmatists who were done down in recent elections.
36
You may thank the public education system in this country, which serves instructors and their union parasites over children's learning. Since the advent of "teachers' unions" we have produced a stupider, more insular and extremely ignorant citizenry these last nearly 50 years. Thus, we elect a serial philanderer with a power-acquisitive spouse spreading white trash all over the landscape, followed by a self-loving hypocrite with delusions of genius and now the piece-de-resistance, a creature of reality television with an even larger ego than the previous guy - if such a thing is possible. Hence the foul crop of ignorance, identity politics and tribal insanity rules the day. And likely, the days to come. We the slightly older and with a more wizened perspective will ease into the winter of our lives; some of us will modestly prosper and some will be victims of the excesses and the antipathy. Those with longer horizons? Rediscover religion - you will need heaven's help.
5
When Reagan attacked the unions, there was no one left to fight back to save jobs. Now the Republicans are fighting to destry "white collar unions" - merely professional associations that provide a collective voice for these fundamental workers. Next they will come after the fire and police unions because their legacy costs are killing budgets. And then they will take away Social Security and Medicare. They won't be happy until we are all drowning in insecurity - the truly precariat class. How will religion help?
14
Maya, Meera, and Mythili are wonderful! Thank you for sharing their stories. I take courage from the gathering of people who care. I turned on the news this evening, having barely assimilated the awful migrant ban, and there were protesters everywhere! It seems not to have been organized much as there wasn't time, but people are on fire to fight for humanity, for life, and for our planet.
At last, we are together again, and if we can keep from getting narrow about pragmatism versus idealism and admit there's room for both, that we are all part of one big human family when you get right down to it, that united we stand and divided we fall, I hope we will get through this.
It is sad that it takes a crisis of the magnitude of Trump and the kleptocratic enablers of the Republican persuasion (the real republicans of days gone by, who were friends of mine, have been deserted by these looters and exploiters) to bring us together.
But together we are, and likely to stay that way. Let's hope that the corruption of absolute power doesn't poison our planet before we can get together and work with each other to keep it hospitable.
At last, we are together again, and if we can keep from getting narrow about pragmatism versus idealism and admit there's room for both, that we are all part of one big human family when you get right down to it, that united we stand and divided we fall, I hope we will get through this.
It is sad that it takes a crisis of the magnitude of Trump and the kleptocratic enablers of the Republican persuasion (the real republicans of days gone by, who were friends of mine, have been deserted by these looters and exploiters) to bring us together.
But together we are, and likely to stay that way. Let's hope that the corruption of absolute power doesn't poison our planet before we can get together and work with each other to keep it hospitable.
53
Trump's presidency is a wake up call. He is, and always has been, manifestly unfit to be president and exactly what the Founding Fathers feared. When he is gone, the Constitution and the electoral process will obviously have to be updated where the Electoral College has failed.
An independent federal electoral commission to ensure voting rights for all citizens would be a good start. Also, acknowledging that voting on a Tuesday is not likely to maximise the will of the people.
An independent federal electoral commission to ensure voting rights for all citizens would be a good start. Also, acknowledging that voting on a Tuesday is not likely to maximise the will of the people.
107
How about mandatory voting after automatic future national registration when a birth-certificate is granted. We have the technology to combine that with other residence information to keep the votes in the appropriate precincts.
14
Reagan/Bush family was America's wake up call, but even after they looted the Treasury and started pointless wars, we went back to sleep.
The best known of my family's ancestors came from Prussia to California in 1863, a horseman in the kaisers army, he came on leave and did not go back. His brother and a sister were already here, they being Jews left their homes in Europe to flee the discrimination.
He like most Germans was friendly with the local natives, the Pomo tribe, and was so well liked he was invited to ceremonies by the Midu tribe in Northern California. I wonder what he would have thought of Trump and people like him, he surly would have been shocked to hear such rhetoric as this and even more so from other American citizens. We know from letters and stories from other members of the family how proud he was to become an American Citizen. The country today is not the one he loved so dearly, the one that welcomed a Jew with a Polish sounding name. He was well respected in a county that did not know what a Jew was, but he became part of the community. Since the sabbath is on Saturday for Jews, my great grandmother would play the organ for the Lutheran church on Sunday.
that was the immigrant experience we grew up with. We do not turn people away for their belief, color, or ethnicity, but we do reject certain ones for their character. And, today we are seeing and hearing people of such character, that honest, well mannered educated people are shunning them. We consider such people as despicable and not acceptable to what we called polite company. We not only disagree with them, they disgust us.
He like most Germans was friendly with the local natives, the Pomo tribe, and was so well liked he was invited to ceremonies by the Midu tribe in Northern California. I wonder what he would have thought of Trump and people like him, he surly would have been shocked to hear such rhetoric as this and even more so from other American citizens. We know from letters and stories from other members of the family how proud he was to become an American Citizen. The country today is not the one he loved so dearly, the one that welcomed a Jew with a Polish sounding name. He was well respected in a county that did not know what a Jew was, but he became part of the community. Since the sabbath is on Saturday for Jews, my great grandmother would play the organ for the Lutheran church on Sunday.
that was the immigrant experience we grew up with. We do not turn people away for their belief, color, or ethnicity, but we do reject certain ones for their character. And, today we are seeing and hearing people of such character, that honest, well mannered educated people are shunning them. We consider such people as despicable and not acceptable to what we called polite company. We not only disagree with them, they disgust us.
90
Thanks for sharing, Mr. Bruni. Ms. Rao and her siblings are, in every way, real Americans. Those folks who voted for The Donald and haven't yet had enough (and one week like this last one is really all it should take) should now be regarded as the aliens- as people with no understanding of, or regard for, basic American concepts of law, fairness and justice. Those who cast their ballots for an unethical businessman, deranged narcissist and obvious racist/sexist/xenophobe/Islamophobe in hopes that he would somehow restore jobs to those regions of a country in which the benefits of globalization were not evenly distributed should by now appreciate the fact that nothing this President is doing will accomplish that objective (even as rising consumer prices will simply have the effect of increasing their misfortune). Be afraid (be very afraid!), rejoin the America of our shared ideals and help us to fight back.
145
These are children from the upper castes of India. They gave a built in advantage over their poorer sisters from India.
1
I celebrate critical thinking more than the idea of diversity. Diversity by itself ensures nothing.
Trump's enablers are women and men of various backgrounds, but all think alike.
None question Trump's idea that money matters above all else. All intend to harm anyone who thinks differently.
Trump's enablers are women and men of various backgrounds, but all think alike.
None question Trump's idea that money matters above all else. All intend to harm anyone who thinks differently.
67
Any right person values things like respect, dignity, equality, ethics etc. If that is thinking alike then count me in.
1
If there is one certainty about the Trump era, however long it lasts, it is disorder. Trump and his Cabinet are anxious to break things, even if they have no idea how to put them back together (and they don't, as we just learned from a leaked audio about health care). It is no accident that virtually every Cabinet appointee has made a career of opposing the very agency they will lead.
While the level of ensuing chaos from so much simultaneous breakage is hard to predict, this regression may well set the stage for a more progressive future.
In the book "Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder", Nassim Taleb makes the point that systems actually improve from many small failures but risk collapse when the impulse for order and control prevents evolution and adaptation.
An overbearing US military doctrine is one example. In the prostrate world after WWII, US leadership was critical to rebuilding and restoring order. But like an overbearing helicopter parent, we stunted the development of the security capacity of allies with US active duty military deployments of 150,000 and countless contractors in 150 countries, seven decades later. And that obsession with world control led us into the debacles of Vietnam, Iraq and countless other misadventures.
Given his incoherent and contradictory ideas, reality challenged Trump may prove to be better at breaking things than fixing them but no one can unite the fragmented Democratic Party better than the Donald.
While the level of ensuing chaos from so much simultaneous breakage is hard to predict, this regression may well set the stage for a more progressive future.
In the book "Antifragile: Things That Gain From Disorder", Nassim Taleb makes the point that systems actually improve from many small failures but risk collapse when the impulse for order and control prevents evolution and adaptation.
An overbearing US military doctrine is one example. In the prostrate world after WWII, US leadership was critical to rebuilding and restoring order. But like an overbearing helicopter parent, we stunted the development of the security capacity of allies with US active duty military deployments of 150,000 and countless contractors in 150 countries, seven decades later. And that obsession with world control led us into the debacles of Vietnam, Iraq and countless other misadventures.
Given his incoherent and contradictory ideas, reality challenged Trump may prove to be better at breaking things than fixing them but no one can unite the fragmented Democratic Party better than the Donald.
53
While it may seem like the disorder of this administration is due to inexperience, it sure serves the purpose of distracting us all from the real issue of Trump's conflict of interests in several countries. When will we get to that?
Bannon wants to be seen as making change while making a lot of noise and creating chaos. It is very hard for the press to stay focused on the very important issue of Trump's conflict of interest.
My message to the press: Please stay focused on real issues. Dont let DJT play you over and over again.
Bannon wants to be seen as making change while making a lot of noise and creating chaos. It is very hard for the press to stay focused on the very important issue of Trump's conflict of interest.
My message to the press: Please stay focused on real issues. Dont let DJT play you over and over again.
1
Anyone who expected a presidential pivot was delusional. The man showed us who he is the very first day he entered the campaign, and he has been consistent since. I hope we all have comfortable footwear for the marching ahead.
91
We love stories, they allow us to share our common humanity, and in Trump's case, an individual whose cruelty and lack of compassion is only matched by his stupidity in belittling 'the other'. Trump is a poor rich man that never grew up, raised in comfort and privilege, impervious to the feelings of the common man/woman; a failed businessman, with multiple bankruptcies that, curiously enough, left him richer...while stealing from the rest of us. Unwilling to show his tax returns, as it most likely would remove any doubt he is a crook; a racist, a xenophobe, and a self-declared sexual predator; ruthless, petty and unscrupulous. In sum, a dangerous clown seeking relevance in our applause. The marches in progress, as inconvenient as they may be for our own comfort, are a wake up call to action, so this tyrant wannabe is held to account.
158
I did a search of our ancestry when my kids were about five and six years old. My ancestors came from Germany in the late 1800s. I look about as "American" as anybody. I am humiliated that we have a president that would seek to ban immigrants based upon religion or place of birth. I know that the strength of America strength is built upon our diversity. We need to bring the power of our legal system, and our sense of what it means to be an American, to fight this new administration. My own prediction is Trump will be lucky to last a year before impeachment. Until then, we need to use the power of the press and our individual voices to fight his fascism and xenophobia.
142
Our legal system may have its share of politically motivated federal judges but this is where we test the mettle of our judicial system as a bulwark against tyranny. I do not think the judicial branch will uphold the violations to our fundamental, constitutional rights and freedoms.
Under President Trump, our government is moving toward tyranny. Republicans have abdicated their Congressional responsibilities to maintain the balance of power. They have succumbed to an authoritarian ruler.
Under President Trump, our government is moving toward tyranny. Republicans have abdicated their Congressional responsibilities to maintain the balance of power. They have succumbed to an authoritarian ruler.
241
The petty, thin-skinned mentally challenged bulk of fat that is named Donald Trump must be removed from office, along with his satanic vice-president and the Speaker of the House. Hopefully this can be achieved by a peaceful impeachment of the President and Vice-president and the election of a new Speaker.
228
donald cannot succeed in his egocentric goal of demagoguery ONLY if we the people, and you Frank, the press allow it to happen. During the congressional obstructionism that occurred during the Obama administration, their attempt to make him a one term president, I commented, a march to the doors of congress was needed to demand a functioning government to serve the people.
Eight years wasted.
It was sheer joy to see those women and some men, millions strong, showing their disapproval of the illegitimate policies of this slowly advancing corrupt administration led by a con artist.
Now, hopefully we an organize a Man's March with women's support, right to donald's door. donald will continue to take advantage of every opportunity to advance his agenda, limiting freedoms should it obstruct his goals.
donald and his chief strategist Bannon will test the peoples will to continue in voicing their disapprovals. Now is the time for all not to falter.
Eight years wasted.
It was sheer joy to see those women and some men, millions strong, showing their disapproval of the illegitimate policies of this slowly advancing corrupt administration led by a con artist.
Now, hopefully we an organize a Man's March with women's support, right to donald's door. donald will continue to take advantage of every opportunity to advance his agenda, limiting freedoms should it obstruct his goals.
donald and his chief strategist Bannon will test the peoples will to continue in voicing their disapprovals. Now is the time for all not to falter.
100
I am hoping for a peaceful and purposeful revolution. A man as sick and delusional as Trump has no business being president, and
we the people need to restore sanity to our government.
we the people need to restore sanity to our government.
288
Two of my daughters also went to Women's March, one in Oakland and one in Sacramento, both in California. We are Asians and all citizens integrated in to the American ethos and culture. And am 100% sure we uphold the US Constitution far more than Trump or his sycophants.
The only thing I agree with Trump is extreme vetting of all immigrants. I would definitely ask them if they believe in human rights of all people - women, blacks, Latino, LGBT, disabled and all other sections of society left behind.
The only thing I agree with Trump is extreme vetting of all immigrants. I would definitely ask them if they believe in human rights of all people - women, blacks, Latino, LGBT, disabled and all other sections of society left behind.
73
During the early part of 2016 there was great debate in Canada regarding the relatively large numbers of Syrian refugees that were being allowed into the country. At the time we were told that all of these people had been rigorously vetted, both by the UN agencies on the ground as well as by Canadian authorities. To date that intake of truly desperate people to our country seems to have been a great success. I have no doubt that similar or even more rigorous vetting has been and is being undertaken by US authorities. Both of our countries have been taking in refugees for a long time - I find it hard to believe that we have suddenly lost our capacity for performing the kind of screening you're speaking about.
As for asking them about their belief in the human rights of all people, sure, go ahead. At the same time, perhaps your fellow citizens could be screened as well. It appears that a disturbing number of them might fail the test.
As for asking them about their belief in the human rights of all people, sure, go ahead. At the same time, perhaps your fellow citizens could be screened as well. It appears that a disturbing number of them might fail the test.
15
No one had a more difficult time when first arriving to the United States then the Irish. I remember hearing stories about those who landed in Boston and the terrible treatment they received from the English Protestants. "No Irish need apply" signs were everywhere. They were delegated to the terrible areas of the city where life was extremely difficult. Yet In spite of this horrendous treatment the Irish excelled in America and are some of the highest income earners today.
My Irish ancestors loved America despite the hardships they first faced and were determined to succeed. Their determination and grit carried them far and their children succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They were so happy to be in America and never once criticized this great nation. They never looked for a handout from the government and believed in hard work. They were grateful America welcomed them but they did enter legally and followed the rules of the country.
We are a land of immigrants but legal immigrants. Those who come must follow the proper channels and not jump ahead of those who enter legally. We welcome everyone and are very generous people. We offer freedoms that most countries do not allow. Anyone who lands on our soil are very lucky and shouid be appreciative. They will experience a far better life here than in most other countries. Otherwise why would they want to leave their homes and experience the American Dream?
My Irish ancestors loved America despite the hardships they first faced and were determined to succeed. Their determination and grit carried them far and their children succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They were so happy to be in America and never once criticized this great nation. They never looked for a handout from the government and believed in hard work. They were grateful America welcomed them but they did enter legally and followed the rules of the country.
We are a land of immigrants but legal immigrants. Those who come must follow the proper channels and not jump ahead of those who enter legally. We welcome everyone and are very generous people. We offer freedoms that most countries do not allow. Anyone who lands on our soil are very lucky and shouid be appreciative. They will experience a far better life here than in most other countries. Otherwise why would they want to leave their homes and experience the American Dream?
8
It's true that Irish immigrants, those who landed in Boston as a result of the potato famine in the 1840s, were shunned by the city. But the writer fails to give credit to the Roman Catholic church and its parochial school system, which educated boys and girls for generations without charging a dollar. Anyone must realize that millions of poor working stiffs did not financially support those grade schools and high schools for most of the 20th century, including the Depression of the Thirties. We did not do it by ourselves.
20
Margaret
Not everyone availed themselves of the Catholic school system. My parents were fortunate to go to excellent public schools in their towns and received a very good education. I do not recall Catholic schools ever being free at least not in Boston. Maybe Catholic schools were free in Oklahoma but it is highly unlikely. They could not operate on their own so money had to come from somewhere. Maybe wealthy Catholics contributed to them.
The immigrants who came to America years ago were not wealthy but came to make a better life for themselves. Their lives were not easy upon first arriving
but with determination and grit they succeeded. They never complained but it was far better here then where they came from. They had hope and dreams that were eventually fulfilled.
I overheard a fellow from Syria wonder why health care was not free. He was so lucky to be getting it in the first place. He also was quite critical of America and the company in which he worked. I wanted to ask him why he stayed if he was so unhappy here. Maybe his life would be better in Syria. There is a bit of sarcasm in my last sentence. But you understand my point.
Nothing is free in life but today some immigrants expect it to be. Those who want to enter must wait their turn, be vetted and then can live the American Dream. When my Irish ancestors arrived, they had to be sponsored by someone already in the country and they came here legally. I agree with Donald Trump.
Not everyone availed themselves of the Catholic school system. My parents were fortunate to go to excellent public schools in their towns and received a very good education. I do not recall Catholic schools ever being free at least not in Boston. Maybe Catholic schools were free in Oklahoma but it is highly unlikely. They could not operate on their own so money had to come from somewhere. Maybe wealthy Catholics contributed to them.
The immigrants who came to America years ago were not wealthy but came to make a better life for themselves. Their lives were not easy upon first arriving
but with determination and grit they succeeded. They never complained but it was far better here then where they came from. They had hope and dreams that were eventually fulfilled.
I overheard a fellow from Syria wonder why health care was not free. He was so lucky to be getting it in the first place. He also was quite critical of America and the company in which he worked. I wanted to ask him why he stayed if he was so unhappy here. Maybe his life would be better in Syria. There is a bit of sarcasm in my last sentence. But you understand my point.
Nothing is free in life but today some immigrants expect it to be. Those who want to enter must wait their turn, be vetted and then can live the American Dream. When my Irish ancestors arrived, they had to be sponsored by someone already in the country and they came here legally. I agree with Donald Trump.
3
"No one had a more difficult time when first arriving to the United States then the Irish."
Pure fantasy. Ask the Africans brought here in chains, or the Asians and Mediterraneans upon whom generations of Irish cops rained down extrajudicial killings.
Worst single-day mass lynching in US history? It was committed by Irish-Americans against hardworking Italian immigrants:
"March 14, 1891 lynchings were a series of lynchings of eleven Italians in New Orleans, Louisiana, who were were lynched for their alleged role in the murder of police chief David Hennessy. It was the largest mass lynching in U.S. history.[1][2][note 1]"
"The lynching took place the day after the trial of nine of the nineteen men indicted in the murder. Six of these defendants had been acquitted, and a mistrial had been declared for the remaining three because the jury failed to agree on their verdicts. Believing the jury had been bribed, a mob broke into the jail where the men were being held and killed eleven of them. The mob numbered in the thousands and included some of the city's most prominent citizens. American press coverage of the event was largely congratulatory, and those responsible for the lynching were never charged."
Pure fantasy. Ask the Africans brought here in chains, or the Asians and Mediterraneans upon whom generations of Irish cops rained down extrajudicial killings.
Worst single-day mass lynching in US history? It was committed by Irish-Americans against hardworking Italian immigrants:
"March 14, 1891 lynchings were a series of lynchings of eleven Italians in New Orleans, Louisiana, who were were lynched for their alleged role in the murder of police chief David Hennessy. It was the largest mass lynching in U.S. history.[1][2][note 1]"
"The lynching took place the day after the trial of nine of the nineteen men indicted in the murder. Six of these defendants had been acquitted, and a mistrial had been declared for the remaining three because the jury failed to agree on their verdicts. Believing the jury had been bribed, a mob broke into the jail where the men were being held and killed eleven of them. The mob numbered in the thousands and included some of the city's most prominent citizens. American press coverage of the event was largely congratulatory, and those responsible for the lynching were never charged."
22
I am the son of an immigrant. My mother's parents were immigrants. My great aunts and uncles were all immigrants. I grew up in a house where half the people in it spoke different languages. They all talked about the old country. They cooked food from the old country. What does that make me? Am I not a real American? Apparently no longer.
I week ago I was. I thought my upbringing was perfectly normal. I thought there was nothing wrong with me or my family. Why would anyone question the origin of my people? We were all Americans. We were all citizens, we all paid taxes and voted. We shopped, worked went to school here just like everyone else.
No longer can families like mine make these claims. Instead, they are now immigrant families that live in America. They are no longer Americans that came here to live. A wall of separation has descended around them.
What Trump is doing is not the beginning of a descent down a slippery slope. He has already pushed us into the pit. It only took him one week.
What terrifies me even more than the ultra nationalism of Trump is the how his lackey Republican congress is following him. They have all turned into Trump Mini-Me's.
They became Mini-Trumps while clutching their bibles and professing their unyielding love of God. They all claim to be deeply religious. They claim that America is a divinely inspired creation. It is no longer. It is Trumpworld.
I week ago I was. I thought my upbringing was perfectly normal. I thought there was nothing wrong with me or my family. Why would anyone question the origin of my people? We were all Americans. We were all citizens, we all paid taxes and voted. We shopped, worked went to school here just like everyone else.
No longer can families like mine make these claims. Instead, they are now immigrant families that live in America. They are no longer Americans that came here to live. A wall of separation has descended around them.
What Trump is doing is not the beginning of a descent down a slippery slope. He has already pushed us into the pit. It only took him one week.
What terrifies me even more than the ultra nationalism of Trump is the how his lackey Republican congress is following him. They have all turned into Trump Mini-Me's.
They became Mini-Trumps while clutching their bibles and professing their unyielding love of God. They all claim to be deeply religious. They claim that America is a divinely inspired creation. It is no longer. It is Trumpworld.
467
My life experience has been similar: I am the product of immigration, although over several centuries which makes life interesting. And enriching. My father was second generation Italian-American (although his mother was Canadian - can I go back?). My mother's family had a far more diverse background: Swedish, Austrian, Scottish, English and French. And I'm eligible for DAR membership, should I be so inclined to pursue it.
I was raised to believe we are the better for diversity, inclusion and acceptance. How did America stray from these values?
The election of President Trump (and it pains me to write those words) will hopefully give rise to more vocal opposition to his tantrums, small-minded initiatives and bigoted, partisan Executive Orders. Regardless of the voters who elected him, he is supposed to represent all of us. He certainly does not represent me or the vast majority of people I know.
I was raised to believe we are the better for diversity, inclusion and acceptance. How did America stray from these values?
The election of President Trump (and it pains me to write those words) will hopefully give rise to more vocal opposition to his tantrums, small-minded initiatives and bigoted, partisan Executive Orders. Regardless of the voters who elected him, he is supposed to represent all of us. He certainly does not represent me or the vast majority of people I know.
135
"It is Trumpworld." I disagree, sir. Mr. Trump did not win the popular vote; he does not have a mandate. The protests of the past week tell us that while America isn't, and never has been, a divinely inspired creation, many of us are still capable of compassion and rational thought--and we will prevail.
22
And DONALD is the son of an immigrant and the husband of one.
5
I'm glad they are getting involved. I hope more do.
I hope that as more get involved, it will move the Democratic Party back into touch with people who could support it, not just the donors and elite that so dominated the party under Hillary's malign influence.
I hope that as more get involved, it will move the Democratic Party back into touch with people who could support it, not just the donors and elite that so dominated the party under Hillary's malign influence.
82
I'm not sure it's so much Hillary's "malign influence" as a huge change in how politics work these days - Citizens United, 2010, which ruled that corporations were the same as voters and could spend as much as they liked to support the candidate of their choice (unlike individual voters who are very limited as to the size of their campaign contributions). Then came the Super Pacs rule, I think just a few months later, under which folks like most of the current cabinet nominees could donate millions, as long as it wasn't for a particular candidate, just a "cause."
Both those decisions were brought to you by a conservative court. Our politicians are now bought and paid for, more than ever before.
Hillary's campaign platform, especially as nudged a bit to the left by Sanders, won the popular vote and offered all Americans far better access to health care and education than anything Trump offers.
I thought the Democratic party was totally in touch with the citizens who voted for it.
I'll also take Hillary's sometimes uninspiring but intelligent oratory over Donald's frequently garbled and insane oratory anytime. And I'm just talking campaign speeches, not the last week of pure insanity.
Both those decisions were brought to you by a conservative court. Our politicians are now bought and paid for, more than ever before.
Hillary's campaign platform, especially as nudged a bit to the left by Sanders, won the popular vote and offered all Americans far better access to health care and education than anything Trump offers.
I thought the Democratic party was totally in touch with the citizens who voted for it.
I'll also take Hillary's sometimes uninspiring but intelligent oratory over Donald's frequently garbled and insane oratory anytime. And I'm just talking campaign speeches, not the last week of pure insanity.
42
hillary won the popular vote.
3
"malign" influence is the same kind of rhetoric Trump uses. In any case, how many of Trump's "executive orders" do you really think Hillary would've issued her first week. Big difference.
2
I'm glad you're here, sisters. I am profoundly saddened and outraged at the Trump xenophobia. He cares not that real people are being left in limbo. Now refugees and immigrants who have gone through a YEARS long vetting process (and, yes, it is rigorous) are finally arriving at an American airport or preparing for departure to come - and being turned back or put on indefinite hold. If I didn't believe that Trump is amoral, I'd say that he should be ashamed.
328
Not possible, he is entirely without shame. Meaningless to him.
As should the entire Republican congress! How any of them could consider this ban Christian-like or American defies me...
All in all, it was a pretty productive week. Of course, he STILL hasn’t cured cancer and found a way to re-tool aging “sevens” into “tens” again; but, hey, he needed to keep SOMETHING back for his second week.
Liberals’ “heartsickness” over the advent of Trump is starting to put a crimp in my Quoits game. Fill one hand with your heartsickness and the other with yet another American Century, and see which hand fills up first AND is more important to Americans.
Move on, Frank. I’ve given up even TRYING to get Charles to, but having written on food and having a new book out called “A Meatloaf in Every Oven” (available wherever meatloaf is sold), you show a LOT more promise of having a detectable sense of humor.
Frank should note that there has indeed been a pronounced “pivot” on Trump’s part to a more presidential demeanor. He should know this—he certainly had a lot to say during the campaign about a demeanor he found VERY far from “presidential”. But that doesn’t synch with marching orders, does it? NOTHING Trump does can be cast in an encouraging light, for fear that some might get the impression that the Times favors the vivisection of children.
I’m sorry that the ladies are concerned about their places in America. They shouldn’t be: it’s unlikely that they want to express their rights to religious expression by gunning-down “kafirs” in gay bars. And I support their right to protest what they fear. I just hope that soon enough they’ll see that they have little to fear.
Liberals’ “heartsickness” over the advent of Trump is starting to put a crimp in my Quoits game. Fill one hand with your heartsickness and the other with yet another American Century, and see which hand fills up first AND is more important to Americans.
Move on, Frank. I’ve given up even TRYING to get Charles to, but having written on food and having a new book out called “A Meatloaf in Every Oven” (available wherever meatloaf is sold), you show a LOT more promise of having a detectable sense of humor.
Frank should note that there has indeed been a pronounced “pivot” on Trump’s part to a more presidential demeanor. He should know this—he certainly had a lot to say during the campaign about a demeanor he found VERY far from “presidential”. But that doesn’t synch with marching orders, does it? NOTHING Trump does can be cast in an encouraging light, for fear that some might get the impression that the Times favors the vivisection of children.
I’m sorry that the ladies are concerned about their places in America. They shouldn’t be: it’s unlikely that they want to express their rights to religious expression by gunning-down “kafirs” in gay bars. And I support their right to protest what they fear. I just hope that soon enough they’ll see that they have little to fear.
14
Richard, your disdainful comment echoes the "I got mine, too bad for everyone else" rhetoric that I hear all too often from Trump supporters. Actually, Trump does favor the vivisection of children: children will be killed, and people will be tortured, due to his Muslim ban. This callow patriotism has got to go. Instead of an "American century," can't we think more generously and share the wealth? Why not make the world better for all humans, with more opportunities for all--not just those who happened to be born in the U.S. through luck, and no effort of their own?
82
It was just reported that The Donald, having determined that the United States is now home to too many people, has issued an executive order calling for anyone whose given name is Richard and whose surname is Luettgen to commit seppuku by midnight this evening. When reached for comment, a NY Times blogger by that name asserted his readiness to follow through on the President's order, agreeing that the members of his family had probably grown too accustomed to having him around and that his fulfillment of Mr. Trump's request would have the "eminently salutary effect of shaking things up." When it was mentioned that the President's order was both illegal and unconstitutional Mr. Luettgen replied that it nonetheless revealed that Mr. Trump was thinking outside the box and that such ideas would be absolutely necessary "if we're ever going to get this nation moving again." Mr. Luettgen said he could not be detained for further questioning as he needed some time to get his sword sharpened.
139
stu:
Entertaining offering. Mine tend to consist of gentler humor, as with my Emily Litella riffs, which also require a fair amount more creativity (and a lot more work); but it's good to see you trying.
Yet keep in mind, as you cast about for OTHER entertaining expressions of a jaundiced worldview, that I didn't invent Donald Trump or make his ascension inevitable. You did.
Entertaining offering. Mine tend to consist of gentler humor, as with my Emily Litella riffs, which also require a fair amount more creativity (and a lot more work); but it's good to see you trying.
Yet keep in mind, as you cast about for OTHER entertaining expressions of a jaundiced worldview, that I didn't invent Donald Trump or make his ascension inevitable. You did.
2
Frank, I just don't know what to say. To you, or to your friends--the sisters who came to this country with such hope and expectation, only to see it all ripped away over the past 18 months.
I'm glad they marched, and I salute them. I urge them to shut down their Facebook accounts--there's no time for that, with all the crude, lewd, and malicious haters out there. I applaud the professions they are following, the contributions they are making to their adopted country and wish I could meet them myself to shake each one's hand.
I guess, at the end of this relentless week, where each day seemed to bring new gasps, new "he did/said what?s", all I can conclude is this: most of us aren't going to remain silent.
Sixty-three million people voted for Trump out of 320 million Americans. Of these 63 million, I can't believe every single one of them is as full of hate as the posters on Meera's FB page.
If I were to believe that, I'd be tempted to shoot myself. But no: I will fight until my last dying day, through any means I can, to resist the monster in the White House, and his merry band of nihilists.
It's the least I can do to repay my country for the values I was taught and still hold dear, even if they--Trump and his supporters-- don't.
I'm glad they marched, and I salute them. I urge them to shut down their Facebook accounts--there's no time for that, with all the crude, lewd, and malicious haters out there. I applaud the professions they are following, the contributions they are making to their adopted country and wish I could meet them myself to shake each one's hand.
I guess, at the end of this relentless week, where each day seemed to bring new gasps, new "he did/said what?s", all I can conclude is this: most of us aren't going to remain silent.
Sixty-three million people voted for Trump out of 320 million Americans. Of these 63 million, I can't believe every single one of them is as full of hate as the posters on Meera's FB page.
If I were to believe that, I'd be tempted to shoot myself. But no: I will fight until my last dying day, through any means I can, to resist the monster in the White House, and his merry band of nihilists.
It's the least I can do to repay my country for the values I was taught and still hold dear, even if they--Trump and his supporters-- don't.
493
Did President Obama obey the constitution.? The courts several times said no. In fact Obama said 23 times he could not on his own change change the immigration laws. But after the people spoke in 2014 to repudiate him, he maliciously issued an executive order on immigration which was unconstitutional. That's why Trump won because the people in the heartland were tired of illegal decrees by a iPresident who tried to usurp power from Congress and the people.
2
Just, FYI, Peter, that is a narrative you have been fed a steady diet of for the last eight years. Yes, Obama "obeyed" the constitution because it complied with court orders. There is an ongoing balancing act of executive power in our system. It has been going on since the beginning, and will continue indefinitely.
When the executive takes actions which push the boundaries of its authority, people with standing bring action in the courts. The courts act to restrain the executive, because as it works out, we are a nation of laws, as Donald Trump is learning now, and as we saw with the Obama administration, and every administration prior.
The narrative you cite did play a role in Trump's election, but not because it is a valid argument, rather because most people are largely ignorant of civics, are looking for someone to blame, and are easily taken in by political rhetoric.
When the executive takes actions which push the boundaries of its authority, people with standing bring action in the courts. The courts act to restrain the executive, because as it works out, we are a nation of laws, as Donald Trump is learning now, and as we saw with the Obama administration, and every administration prior.
The narrative you cite did play a role in Trump's election, but not because it is a valid argument, rather because most people are largely ignorant of civics, are looking for someone to blame, and are easily taken in by political rhetoric.
15
They all apparently believed that anything else would be better than where they were, to take that flyer on a loose cannon like Trump.
How did we get here? It happened so quickly. We felt as though we were moving forward, and although there were moments of political recalcitrance and silly partisan fighting, things seemed to be going in the right direction.
The economy had turned around and people were going back to work. The housing market had recovered, people were earning more, women were making headway and LGBTQ citizens were coming out of a dank closet for the first time in living memory.
Then it all went sour. Suddenly the air was full of insults. There was talk of walling off the country from the outside world, as if we weren’t part of it. Women were being dragged back to the 1950s. White supremacists were telling us what would be permitted in the new world order, and the press was told to shut up.
We were caught off guard. The new administration thinks that they’ve won, but they’re confusing winning with blindsiding the country when our guard was down.
We’re getting back up. We’re gathering our wits and our strength. These three women are part of the answer, and they’re being joined by several million more.
Their spontaneous singing of The Star Spangled Banner called to mind the scene in Casablanca, when the citizens of occupied France, sitting in a nest of Nazis singing “Die Wacht am Rhein,” broke into La Marseillaise.
That moment gave me the kind of patriotic swell that I’m starting to feel now. You can feel the ground begin to shake, pounded by millions marching for freedom.
The economy had turned around and people were going back to work. The housing market had recovered, people were earning more, women were making headway and LGBTQ citizens were coming out of a dank closet for the first time in living memory.
Then it all went sour. Suddenly the air was full of insults. There was talk of walling off the country from the outside world, as if we weren’t part of it. Women were being dragged back to the 1950s. White supremacists were telling us what would be permitted in the new world order, and the press was told to shut up.
We were caught off guard. The new administration thinks that they’ve won, but they’re confusing winning with blindsiding the country when our guard was down.
We’re getting back up. We’re gathering our wits and our strength. These three women are part of the answer, and they’re being joined by several million more.
Their spontaneous singing of The Star Spangled Banner called to mind the scene in Casablanca, when the citizens of occupied France, sitting in a nest of Nazis singing “Die Wacht am Rhein,” broke into La Marseillaise.
That moment gave me the kind of patriotic swell that I’m starting to feel now. You can feel the ground begin to shake, pounded by millions marching for freedom.
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Gemli, you haven't been "moving forward" since 20 Jan, 2009. Due to liberal excess and hubris, that didn't work out too well for you; and, since November of 2010, you've been incrementally overwhelmed by an ideological tsunami whose completeness you were merely fighting a rear-guard action with Mrs. Clinton to stave off. That didn't work out well for you either, but it was a close call. Thankfully for America, though, it turned out well, because another outcome would have had us doing nothing meaningful for ANOTHER 4-8 years, with yet another Democratic president making excuses for why a congress that disagreed with her utterly on solutions was so "obstructing" her.
The insults that fill the air are overwhelmingly those offered by YOUR side against ANYTHING with which they disagree.
I also feel great anticipation of a vastly better America soon. Difference is that my sense of anticipation isn't a pipe-dream but is supported by undivided Republican government.
The insults that fill the air are overwhelmingly those offered by YOUR side against ANYTHING with which they disagree.
I also feel great anticipation of a vastly better America soon. Difference is that my sense of anticipation isn't a pipe-dream but is supported by undivided Republican government.
7
@Richard Luettgen,
Yes, the Obama years were stagnant ones, during which absolutely nothing got done--which makes it puzzling that the new president is wearing out his pen signing executive orders to nullify all that stuff that Obama didn't do. It's a shame he can't bring Osama bin Laden back to life, or The Great Undoing would be complete.
I wither in the glare of our president's intellect. I feel deep shame whenever I see him, and I suppose that's because I'm too dumb to realize how smart he is. To my tiny brain, he seems like a narcissist with a brittle ego, so focused on perceived slights that honest criticism has no chance of making it through. He can't distinguish one from the other, so he isolates himself, and listens only to the alt-white noise of his brain.
Of course, I'm not able to peer into his depths, so you have the advantage over me in that regard. But I sincerely hope that after he implements his grand plan and the benefits come raining down, that you get everything you deserve.
Yes, the Obama years were stagnant ones, during which absolutely nothing got done--which makes it puzzling that the new president is wearing out his pen signing executive orders to nullify all that stuff that Obama didn't do. It's a shame he can't bring Osama bin Laden back to life, or The Great Undoing would be complete.
I wither in the glare of our president's intellect. I feel deep shame whenever I see him, and I suppose that's because I'm too dumb to realize how smart he is. To my tiny brain, he seems like a narcissist with a brittle ego, so focused on perceived slights that honest criticism has no chance of making it through. He can't distinguish one from the other, so he isolates himself, and listens only to the alt-white noise of his brain.
Of course, I'm not able to peer into his depths, so you have the advantage over me in that regard. But I sincerely hope that after he implements his grand plan and the benefits come raining down, that you get everything you deserve.
795
gemli:
Among the things I most disagree with Trump on (more than this forum thinks), nullifying EVERYTHING Obama, or seeking to, numbers one on my list. I've lived long enough to know that nothing political is permanent, that we will see Democratic governments again (maybe even while you and I still are vertical), and that if Trump is successful at erasing Obama's legacies in their entirety, then that fate awaits him someday, as well. How Congress deals with the ACA, in particular, has the potential to destroy Republicans every bit as completely (for the time being) as how Democrats destroyed themselves by enacting and imposing it in 2010.
Trump's intellect, appearances notwithstanding, is a group one, not an incandescent singularity; so, try not to be withered by it. Pay more attention to Bannon's, not Trump's. Bannon is the scary one -- not necessarily for what he wants for America, but for the fact that he couldn't care less about the glory. He just wants the substance. Now THAT'S a formidable guy.
In the end all of us get what we deserve: six feet of American soil and the scattering of our poor bones after one century. Try to have some fun before YOUR dirt nap.
Among the things I most disagree with Trump on (more than this forum thinks), nullifying EVERYTHING Obama, or seeking to, numbers one on my list. I've lived long enough to know that nothing political is permanent, that we will see Democratic governments again (maybe even while you and I still are vertical), and that if Trump is successful at erasing Obama's legacies in their entirety, then that fate awaits him someday, as well. How Congress deals with the ACA, in particular, has the potential to destroy Republicans every bit as completely (for the time being) as how Democrats destroyed themselves by enacting and imposing it in 2010.
Trump's intellect, appearances notwithstanding, is a group one, not an incandescent singularity; so, try not to be withered by it. Pay more attention to Bannon's, not Trump's. Bannon is the scary one -- not necessarily for what he wants for America, but for the fact that he couldn't care less about the glory. He just wants the substance. Now THAT'S a formidable guy.
In the end all of us get what we deserve: six feet of American soil and the scattering of our poor bones after one century. Try to have some fun before YOUR dirt nap.
8
The women profiled represent hope that America will emerge from our recent madness and continue to be the beacon of light and inclusiveness that propelled my parents and grandparents to leave the remains of Europe after The Great War and emigrate to America seeking a better life.
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