The green cart should come to DC and become a decorative item in your home. When you're grand-ones come back, you can point to it as a totem of their importance to you and Deb. It's an idea. Loved your reflection about your family.
When I was young, I was a big Stephen King fan. But more recent books of his that I've picked up haven't seemed as strong as the earlier ones. That said, King writes a lot of books, and I haven't come close to reading most of the newer ones. Of those I have, 11-23-63, published in 2011, is an exception. It's a page-turner with insight--e.g., about Oswald and his world, about American culture in the 60s, about the impact of the assassinations and other major events on 60's culture.
I'm late to this, Jim, but embrace every word gratefully. I must admit that I sometimes find myself drowning under waves of well-intentioned voices of those who try to "describe" and "explain" our rudimentary and disturbing predicament, but I have never felt that way when reading your concise dispatches that are strangely neither "just" narratives or newsy (and to be frank, I did not sense a reduction or change in your "output" beyond the indication at the beginning of the year that you and Deb would be spending time in CA where your familial attachments have often shown through...).
I'll take time later to read the insightful commentary that preceded my discovery of your post moments ago and that is almost always in that same spirit.
Thank you... and safe travels back to your "other" home in The District.
Jim, I love this post. Thank you for sharing. You have that rare combination of keen insight, a mastery of storytelling, and a touch of vulnerability that makes your writing - and you - a treasure. Thank you!
It is rare to have access to a beacon of clarity and intelligent perspective. And now that Beacon has shown up with a glimpse of heart. I have followed you for a long time, but decided to subscribe when the prospect of getting through a second Trump presidency demanded an uplifted point of view. I didn't need more words, more often, I wanted real inspiration. Thank you for generously providing that.
I too, have been blessed with a remarkably good family; one son, three grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. For me, family is the root of everything. My son calls me a generation bender, because I call all of them "my children", and maintain a deep closeness with each of them.
The 2024 election posed a threat to that family closeness when we discovered our political viewpoints were strongly split down the middle. I vowed in November 2024 to not let Trump have my family bonds. That is a challenge for someone as outspoken as I can be. Watching the Trump clown car expand into a Trump circus train, careening through our nation and the institutions that bind it, make my eyes want to pop and my words become bullets. A second thank you for helping to temper that into something more productive.
As a native Southern Californian, living in a beach town paradise for over 50 years, I understand the communities and State of California have long been woven together with the omnipresent contributions of Mexican immigrants. I am not a proponent of illegal immigration and support a reasonable, intelligent approach to solving these issues. But, to watch the ICE raids, blatantly structured to cause fear and chaos strike our communities is soul jarring. Masked and heavily armed men rolling up to local restaurants, carwashes and places of work; actually snatching people off the street, running them down as if they were rabid animals is not bearable. Your offering paths of action is appreciated.
The LA Diocese of the Episcopal Church I attend, had 14 members taken in the LA Garment District ICE raids. In addition to showing up for the DTLA protests, resources for providing immigrants legal aid and family living support have been established. There are many ways to contribute through IRIS (Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Services), and it is another path created out of necessity. Immigrants in need, or contributors may call 213.685.0063.
There is so much in our nation that needs active support now. I look at my children too, and know that it is a critical time to show up.
I write this from coastal Calif, where we have been (with part of our familly) for the past few months. Put on a wet suit and did body-surfing two weekends ago! In two days, back to DC. I am grateful.
Thank you for this lovely reminder. A friend sent an email today saying she was tired, and we are all tired. I sometimes wonder how we’ll make it through this, but we must find a way. I just noticed the hummingbird wars going on outside my window around the feeder. Time to watch them for a while.
About that Tim Cook "gift." Mr. Cook is a smart guy, and I'm wondering if there might be some hidden layers here. On the one hand, it's designed to super please, but on the other hand, it's supremely dumbass.
Might want to check out "Apple in China" by Patrick McGee for the story of how Apple went from making things itself to making them in China. Am working my way through the book now and I want to keep reading it. A complex story. As a long-time Apple user I am learning all kinds of things I never knew.
Jim, you beat me to it! I was just finishing my comment about how a certain James Fallows, journalist, is mentioned favorably on pg 88 (at least in the Kindle edition) for calling the head of Foxconn, Terry Gou, the person next most important after Deng Xiaoping in turning China into the manufacturing giant it is now...which has a......bit.....to do with how America is right now. If only this or that hadn't happened...but did. The whole book is filled with super-ambitious, obsessive (one-track mind) people like Jobs, Gou, Jonny Ive, Tim Cook...did we really need super thin, glam devices that we have to keep replacing in order to stay on the golden escalator to tech Nirvana? Did we just end up buying ourselves golden handcuffs? The communists used to say the capitalists would sell them the rope they would use to hang them, so maybe they understood this concept correctly. A business person sees only the dollar dangling in front of them, what they call "success."
In my Cincinnati city neighborhood we have people who've organized to help undocumented residents with things like dealing with ICE and protecting your children. They've hosted events that answer questions, like "what plans do Cincy-area schools have in place to protect children and families from ICE?"
They're also offering help nights for immigrants wanting to apply for or renew their American-born children's passports. They've recruited people to volunteer to be on hand to witness and document any ICE visit to neighbors' homes. They've offered legal help nights for people wanting to ensure they have a plan in place should the be whisked away from their children.
Every meeting offers food, childcare and translation services.
The horrible things happening get all the attention. But all these quiet, anonymous acts of courage happening throughout my city and across the country are ways we are reclaiming our power from the Trump administration's tyrannical rule.
And I heartily agree with your advice to make sure you don't let them take joy and laughter away from you. That would be giving my soul over to the dark side.
Hi Jim --- same age as you, same priorities. Times with children never come again, and at this age much may never come again. First priority is to have a rich family life, to create our own memories, but even more important to build family memories in the young ones. They will have that far longer than we will, and they will pass down that rich sense of family on and on. I didnt have much of that growing up, and it is even more important for me to give it to my children and grandchildren.
And it is not just the young ones. My wife and I spent 3 weeks in Scotland with our 34 year old son, who is just beginning a new life after graduating from Wharton. It was wonderful and will live on and on. I even was able to give him some of my passion for history, as we spent an afternoon among Neolithic standing stones and passage graves, there for over 5000 years. And he was able to pay his respects to Adam Smith, founder of his field of Economics...
At our age I feel our task is to pass along our perspective that we have gleaned over the years, and the young will create the world as they are able. This is why I so much appreciate your pwn writing....best, Randy Foote
Randy, my gratitude. We will see one branch of our family again .... in a while. And the other branch is still here where we are, in Calif, before heading to DC this week. And re-entering that fray. Thank you.
One of the most difficult challenges is how to stay sane with all the craziness surrounding us. Balancing mental health with staying informed is becoming impossible to achieve. I am so angry (and frightened) it is uncomfortable. Keeping focused on the things I can control may be the best course, but it doesn't seem like enough.
The protests in LA and clips I've seen from elsewhere suggest that ordinary Americans are willing to fight obvious injustice, not just to stand aside, not just to be bystanders. Apologies for the lack of a transition to what I'm going to write next. I read Stephen King's book 11/22/63 fairly recently. The plot centers around a man who goes back in time to try to prevent the Jack Kennedy's assassination. The country then is very different from the one we live in today. It is an America that has a common culture--a common culture that, for all of its flaws, has enough flexibility to accommodate the huge changes coming from the Civil Rights movement. King sees us derailed by by the Vietnam War and the other assassinations, and the forces of divisiveness unleashed by that volatile mix. People on the streets resisting ICE agents--or Jerome Powell standing up to Trump in live time--are hopeful signs that the core culture King sees still exists. Trump & Co. are making one overreach-mistake after another, slowly laying the groundwork for a collapse of confidence when the next financial crisis or Katrina or Covid come. To meet that moment, we need a unified opposition with grass roots support. I see hopeful signs of the latter. And hope to see more signs of the former.
Thanks for your encouragement about actions and examples to thwart this fascist take over of our country. I miss reading Michelle Goldberg and Jamel Bouie in NYT since I unsubscribed. Life does indeed keep happening even in fraught times. It's important to remember that.
One of the most galling aspects of Trump is his alliance with the republican family values constituency. The proposition that Trump promotes family values makes me feel like I'm living in some terrible dystopic gaslighted upside-down land. Where your family values are a perfect antidote. Thanks.
Glad you chose the family focus. Given the hyperobject scale of the Trump takeover, one has to weigh how to parse energy for the long haul. Like you, I'm a big fan of Reich's list. I did write a song early this year that hopefully offers some guidance - and inspiration. It’s called Save Dreams for Sleeping. Here's the key section:
Our country needs mending, but how to begin?
With problems so tangled, no start and no end?
Begin by protecting those facing the fire.
Reach by connecting through common desires.
One day at a time, the trust you create
Will carry us further than fighting and hate.
One stitch at a time the fabric you weave,
'Will grow ever stronger than you can believe.
So save dreams for sleeping. It’s time to get real.
Hard workers are suffering while billionaires steal.
Young women in trouble can’t find caring hands.
House builders born elsewhere get bundled in vans.
I’m not saying it’s easy. All good things take time.
Those trying to divide us are good at their crime.
The green cart should come to DC and become a decorative item in your home. When you're grand-ones come back, you can point to it as a totem of their importance to you and Deb. It's an idea. Loved your reflection about your family.
When I was young, I was a big Stephen King fan. But more recent books of his that I've picked up haven't seemed as strong as the earlier ones. That said, King writes a lot of books, and I haven't come close to reading most of the newer ones. Of those I have, 11-23-63, published in 2011, is an exception. It's a page-turner with insight--e.g., about Oswald and his world, about American culture in the 60s, about the impact of the assassinations and other major events on 60's culture.
Thank you Jim for being a beacon of light that illuminates these dark and troubled times.
I'm late to this, Jim, but embrace every word gratefully. I must admit that I sometimes find myself drowning under waves of well-intentioned voices of those who try to "describe" and "explain" our rudimentary and disturbing predicament, but I have never felt that way when reading your concise dispatches that are strangely neither "just" narratives or newsy (and to be frank, I did not sense a reduction or change in your "output" beyond the indication at the beginning of the year that you and Deb would be spending time in CA where your familial attachments have often shown through...).
I'll take time later to read the insightful commentary that preceded my discovery of your post moments ago and that is almost always in that same spirit.
Thank you... and safe travels back to your "other" home in The District.
Jim, I love this post. Thank you for sharing. You have that rare combination of keen insight, a mastery of storytelling, and a touch of vulnerability that makes your writing - and you - a treasure. Thank you!
It is rare to have access to a beacon of clarity and intelligent perspective. And now that Beacon has shown up with a glimpse of heart. I have followed you for a long time, but decided to subscribe when the prospect of getting through a second Trump presidency demanded an uplifted point of view. I didn't need more words, more often, I wanted real inspiration. Thank you for generously providing that.
I too, have been blessed with a remarkably good family; one son, three grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. For me, family is the root of everything. My son calls me a generation bender, because I call all of them "my children", and maintain a deep closeness with each of them.
The 2024 election posed a threat to that family closeness when we discovered our political viewpoints were strongly split down the middle. I vowed in November 2024 to not let Trump have my family bonds. That is a challenge for someone as outspoken as I can be. Watching the Trump clown car expand into a Trump circus train, careening through our nation and the institutions that bind it, make my eyes want to pop and my words become bullets. A second thank you for helping to temper that into something more productive.
As a native Southern Californian, living in a beach town paradise for over 50 years, I understand the communities and State of California have long been woven together with the omnipresent contributions of Mexican immigrants. I am not a proponent of illegal immigration and support a reasonable, intelligent approach to solving these issues. But, to watch the ICE raids, blatantly structured to cause fear and chaos strike our communities is soul jarring. Masked and heavily armed men rolling up to local restaurants, carwashes and places of work; actually snatching people off the street, running them down as if they were rabid animals is not bearable. Your offering paths of action is appreciated.
The LA Diocese of the Episcopal Church I attend, had 14 members taken in the LA Garment District ICE raids. In addition to showing up for the DTLA protests, resources for providing immigrants legal aid and family living support have been established. There are many ways to contribute through IRIS (Interfaith Refugee and Immigration Services), and it is another path created out of necessity. Immigrants in need, or contributors may call 213.685.0063.
There is so much in our nation that needs active support now. I look at my children too, and know that it is a critical time to show up.
Barbara, sincere thanks.
I write this from coastal Calif, where we have been (with part of our familly) for the past few months. Put on a wet suit and did body-surfing two weekends ago! In two days, back to DC. I am grateful.
Thank you for this lovely reminder. A friend sent an email today saying she was tired, and we are all tired. I sometimes wonder how we’ll make it through this, but we must find a way. I just noticed the hummingbird wars going on outside my window around the feeder. Time to watch them for a while.
Thank you.
About that Tim Cook "gift." Mr. Cook is a smart guy, and I'm wondering if there might be some hidden layers here. On the one hand, it's designed to super please, but on the other hand, it's supremely dumbass.
Might want to check out "Apple in China" by Patrick McGee for the story of how Apple went from making things itself to making them in China. Am working my way through the book now and I want to keep reading it. A complex story. As a long-time Apple user I am learning all kinds of things I never knew.
Jim, you beat me to it! I was just finishing my comment about how a certain James Fallows, journalist, is mentioned favorably on pg 88 (at least in the Kindle edition) for calling the head of Foxconn, Terry Gou, the person next most important after Deng Xiaoping in turning China into the manufacturing giant it is now...which has a......bit.....to do with how America is right now. If only this or that hadn't happened...but did. The whole book is filled with super-ambitious, obsessive (one-track mind) people like Jobs, Gou, Jonny Ive, Tim Cook...did we really need super thin, glam devices that we have to keep replacing in order to stay on the golden escalator to tech Nirvana? Did we just end up buying ourselves golden handcuffs? The communists used to say the capitalists would sell them the rope they would use to hang them, so maybe they understood this concept correctly. A business person sees only the dollar dangling in front of them, what they call "success."
Yes, thank you. I had a paragraph about that book in an earlier version of this post. It's really important.
Somehow, each of us must find a path to this new Salt March
In my Cincinnati city neighborhood we have people who've organized to help undocumented residents with things like dealing with ICE and protecting your children. They've hosted events that answer questions, like "what plans do Cincy-area schools have in place to protect children and families from ICE?"
They're also offering help nights for immigrants wanting to apply for or renew their American-born children's passports. They've recruited people to volunteer to be on hand to witness and document any ICE visit to neighbors' homes. They've offered legal help nights for people wanting to ensure they have a plan in place should the be whisked away from their children.
Every meeting offers food, childcare and translation services.
The horrible things happening get all the attention. But all these quiet, anonymous acts of courage happening throughout my city and across the country are ways we are reclaiming our power from the Trump administration's tyrannical rule.
And I heartily agree with your advice to make sure you don't let them take joy and laughter away from you. That would be giving my soul over to the dark side.
Thanks for the immediate-term to-do's, and the longer term perspective.
Hi Jim --- same age as you, same priorities. Times with children never come again, and at this age much may never come again. First priority is to have a rich family life, to create our own memories, but even more important to build family memories in the young ones. They will have that far longer than we will, and they will pass down that rich sense of family on and on. I didnt have much of that growing up, and it is even more important for me to give it to my children and grandchildren.
And it is not just the young ones. My wife and I spent 3 weeks in Scotland with our 34 year old son, who is just beginning a new life after graduating from Wharton. It was wonderful and will live on and on. I even was able to give him some of my passion for history, as we spent an afternoon among Neolithic standing stones and passage graves, there for over 5000 years. And he was able to pay his respects to Adam Smith, founder of his field of Economics...
At our age I feel our task is to pass along our perspective that we have gleaned over the years, and the young will create the world as they are able. This is why I so much appreciate your pwn writing....best, Randy Foote
Randy, my gratitude. We will see one branch of our family again .... in a while. And the other branch is still here where we are, in Calif, before heading to DC this week. And re-entering that fray. Thank you.
One of the most difficult challenges is how to stay sane with all the craziness surrounding us. Balancing mental health with staying informed is becoming impossible to achieve. I am so angry (and frightened) it is uncomfortable. Keeping focused on the things I can control may be the best course, but it doesn't seem like enough.
The challenge for us all. Thank you.
The one who stays sane the longest will prevail.
The protests in LA and clips I've seen from elsewhere suggest that ordinary Americans are willing to fight obvious injustice, not just to stand aside, not just to be bystanders. Apologies for the lack of a transition to what I'm going to write next. I read Stephen King's book 11/22/63 fairly recently. The plot centers around a man who goes back in time to try to prevent the Jack Kennedy's assassination. The country then is very different from the one we live in today. It is an America that has a common culture--a common culture that, for all of its flaws, has enough flexibility to accommodate the huge changes coming from the Civil Rights movement. King sees us derailed by by the Vietnam War and the other assassinations, and the forces of divisiveness unleashed by that volatile mix. People on the streets resisting ICE agents--or Jerome Powell standing up to Trump in live time--are hopeful signs that the core culture King sees still exists. Trump & Co. are making one overreach-mistake after another, slowly laying the groundwork for a collapse of confidence when the next financial crisis or Katrina or Covid come. To meet that moment, we need a unified opposition with grass roots support. I see hopeful signs of the latter. And hope to see more signs of the former.
Thank you. I thought I knew all of Stephen King's books, but I did not know that one,
A truly wonderful piece ❤️
Thanks for your encouragement about actions and examples to thwart this fascist take over of our country. I miss reading Michelle Goldberg and Jamel Bouie in NYT since I unsubscribed. Life does indeed keep happening even in fraught times. It's important to remember that.
Susan, thank you. Last day(s) in Calif, about to head back to occupied DC. I appreciate it.
Maybe, you and Deb should " Make Good Trouble" but, cautiously 🤔🙏
One of the most galling aspects of Trump is his alliance with the republican family values constituency. The proposition that Trump promotes family values makes me feel like I'm living in some terrible dystopic gaslighted upside-down land. Where your family values are a perfect antidote. Thanks.
I appreciate it.
Glad you chose the family focus. Given the hyperobject scale of the Trump takeover, one has to weigh how to parse energy for the long haul. Like you, I'm a big fan of Reich's list. I did write a song early this year that hopefully offers some guidance - and inspiration. It’s called Save Dreams for Sleeping. Here's the key section:
Our country needs mending, but how to begin?
With problems so tangled, no start and no end?
Begin by protecting those facing the fire.
Reach by connecting through common desires.
One day at a time, the trust you create
Will carry us further than fighting and hate.
One stitch at a time the fabric you weave,
'Will grow ever stronger than you can believe.
So save dreams for sleeping. It’s time to get real.
Hard workers are suffering while billionaires steal.
Young women in trouble can’t find caring hands.
House builders born elsewhere get bundled in vans.
I’m not saying it’s easy. All good things take time.
Those trying to divide us are good at their crime.
But if we stop dreaming, dive into the fray
A more perfect union is coming our way...
https://revkin.substack.com/p/music-for-trump-time-save-dreams?utm_source=publication-search
I am so grateful, and admiring. Thank you. About to return to our (occupied) 51st state.
Superb!👊❤️