1/ Starting with FDR, we liberals became too icon dependent. Unless a political personality such as JFK or Obama inspired us, we, too often, disengaged. In 2020, we we rallied to defeat evil. But otherwise worthy and capable public servants such as (Cont) #ResistanceRoots #ONEV1
2/ Al Gore, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton did not benefit from the passionate activism they deserved. Meanwhile, Republicans didn't necessarily need to be inspired by an iconic figure such as Ronald Reagan to engage. As the cliche went, "Democrats fall in love and (Cont)
3/ Republicans fall in line." Yes, Gore and Clinton won the popular vote and were screwed by the electoral college. And yes, their media coverage was absurdly unfair. But the carping about their perceived imperfections by Democrats made the elections close enough for (Cont)
4/ clusterf**ks to occur. Even as many Republicans knew, Gore, Kerry, and Clinton were defeated by vastly inferior opponents in Bush and Trump as both men had a documented history of incompetence and dishonorable character. Thankfully, GenZ has been passionate about their (Cont)
5/ activism even as Biden's persona does not make our hearts skip a beat like JFK or Obama. Well, now us older curmudgeons need to get over it. Biden's accomplishments so far have been transformative, and he's outfoxed MAGA assclowns at every turn. Simply put, he's EARNED (Cont)
6/ our support. Whining about Biden's age, rhetorical gaffes, or the corporate media is not a recipe for winning. Rather, what is needed is our devoted activism. Walter Cronkite is not returning from the dead to spread epiphany truth dust on the public. And candidates with (Cont)
7/ the rhetorical gifts and presence of FDR, JFK, or Obama are rare. So it's up to each of us to cut through the bullshit and engage with our family, friends, and neighbors. We have the power to be the force multipliers that save our democracy. And we must. The media is (Cont)
8/ not gonna change. And even if multiple prosecutions against Trump go the distance, MAGA world is far more likely to take up arms than honorably embrace truth, justice, and the American way. So voting by itself is not good enough anymore. We all MUST engage and persuade (Cont)
9/ America's pro democracy patriotic majority.
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1/4🧵The Trump family's linkage w/an Iranian Revolutionary Guard via an oligarch is old news. I was employed with a corp due diligence firm in NYC at the time and a case we were working overlapped with Trump's scheme.
#ResistanceUnited
#ONEV1
#VetsResist motherjones.com/politics/2022/…
2/4 Bottom line is Trump has financial entanglements with despotic regimes in Russia and Iran. Iran has provided Russia with military parts and logistical support against Ukraine.
3/4 Russia passed on the intel to Iran and they shared it with their Hamas and Hezbollah proxies. Meanwhile, Netanyahu was paying money to Hamas to avoid a two state solution with the Palestinians.
Yes, folks all countries and societies absolutely have "enemies within."
🧵Content below is my opinion and is my last essay thread before 11/5 as I am strategically prioritizing real activism.
1/ I plea with my fellow citizens to not let their kids become like Germany's "Silent Generation."
#ProudBlueEditorials
#ResistanceRoots
#ONEV1
#VetsResist
2/ Silent Generation was born between 1928-1945.
In America, for many GenXers like me, these were our parents who were young children during the Great Depression and WWII. They were too young to be the "Greatest Generation" nor were they the attention seeking Baby Boomers.
3/ Silent Generation Americans fought in Korea. They didn't return home to parades like the Greatest Generation WWII vets nor was there rampant social strife as occurred with Boomers during Vietnam.
In Germany, Silent Generation counterparts had a very different experience.
2/ Truth is I needed a spiritual break from politics. I hadn't attended synagogue in weeks. My Financial Crimes Compliance job has been intense and I've prioritized activism over Shabbat.
But even activists with Vulcan avatars posting on toxic social media platforms are human.
3/ The one year anniversary of 10/7 is coming. It's also the season of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
It is a season of both aspirational renewal as we celebrate a new year as well as self-reflection and atonement about how to become a better person.
1/ We now live in a world in which our mobile communication devices can be instruments of assassination. Meanwhile, SCOTUS ruled presidents have criminal immunity.
1/ United States of America collectively is suffering from generations of PTSD. As a nation we are simultaneously the cause as well as victims of self-inflicted terror.
2/ Within individuals, PTSD may stem from a continuing family history of alcoholism or spousal/parental/child abuse over generations.
If not family related, other causes such as sex predators, horrorific experiences from military combat or surviving a random catastrophic event.
3/ Those with PTSD are often not aware how it impacts their lives, social interactions or choices they make. Victims may be regulated by constant fear or violently triggered from sights, sounds, odors or even sitting in a dentist chair.
1/ I was 13 when I became an activist in the early 1980s. Sadly, as a kid, I quickly learned to fear houses hanging American flags.
Invariably, they were hostile to any issue I cared about.
#ProudBlueEditorials
#ResistanceRoots
#ONEV1
#VetsResist
2/ This confused me as it was Democrat and liberal, John F. Kennedy that challenged us to, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."
What's forgotten about that iconic line is how JFK linked patriotism to freedom.
3/ Twenty years prior to JFK's inaugural, Democrat and liberal, Franklin Roosevelt defined his vision of American patriotic values in his "Four Freedoms" speech (see below).
He delivered that speech eleven months prior to Japan's attack on Pearl Harbor.