And don't forget Rep. Jamie Raskin's "Preamble" to the BBB which he offered yesterday on the House floor which was entered into the House Record! I don't have the transcript of his words, but I'm sure you do, Jen. Please publish it for all of us!
Thank you! This is a true statement expressed in all of its terrifying summary details, and should be shown to all of the registered and unregistered voters who don't know what is happening to their dwindling earnings and savings, don't know who is causing it, and have been unmotivated and uninterested in voting. Are you all tired of hearing your family and friends say, "Politics? I don't like it, and don't want to talk about it."
While I love your writing, I am taken back by Trump's message about the upcoming results of the NYC Mayoral elections where he stated "I pull the levers and hold the cards" for the results of this election. The one tool that "we the people" have is also under threat of compromise by Trump et al. We simply have to do something additional........
And people actually believed his lies when he claimed the 2020 election was rigged. A man with a lifelong history of fraud and gaslighting now letting his true face show more and more as all the filters keeping the dementia in start to crumble.
my biggest fear; I want to know what those states who can be counted on to hold LEGITIMATE elections are doing to protect their systems... what citizens in the states that do not can be doing..... what organizers can do to ensure the electoral college (ugh) is not compromised....
Meidas Touch just interviewed him.... yes; the more we can highlight everywhere these younger candidates with STRONG SPINES, fresh ideas, & plenty of evidence that they've been out & about talking with AND LISTENING TO constituents, the better!!
Right! Thing is, he has been interviewed all over the place, and practically every media outlet of any sort, in the US and abroad even, has reported on his stunning win, and now on the harsh racist backlash against him...EXCEPT The Contrarian.
It's hard not to think that his very progressive policy positions and especially his criticism of Israel's war crimes has something to do with the loud silence here.
Great minds think alike! You're in good company, Denise.
Judge Michael Luttig wrote a point by point clarification of the colonists' grievances against King George III. It requires quiet and focus to absorb.
Judge Luttig appeared on Jim Acosta's substack video yesterday to discuss it. It's still startling to realize that we are struggling today with the same abuses that our founders listed 250 years ago. Whatever it takes, we will not give up until we win. No Kings.
"The Self-Evident Truths of Freedom—and of Tyranny
Twenty-seven truths about America, our Democracy and Rule of Law, and our rights, freedoms, and liberties."
There’s every possibility of that, and I do not think either of us is being overly pessimistic.
Are we, the people of this Nation, capable of fighting all the fights, on all the fronts that need to be fought in order—not just put back behind thick walls and into the deep shadows of this Nation all the enemies of freedom and representative democracy—but to triumph against them?
Are we ready, capable and determined enough to demolish the fascism and fascists of our time?
These are the questions I continually ask myself, and that’s why I wanted to read the Declaration again last night. I needed a boost of courage.
The thought occurred that the Founders had no idea what exactly would happen to them or their families, when they signed and sent that document to England, just as we do not know now, how or if our actions will result in the desired outcomes.
Towns everywhere used to read it every Fourth of July, which was another reason I looked at it and also to see if it was still posted online at gov.com so that anyone could look it up.
Lastly, I wondered if my 8th grade history teacher was making it up, when we studied the Declaration and she said as John Hancock signed he said he made his signature large enough the George III would be able to read it without his eyeglasses.
'we have all the tools (e.g., elections, free speech) necessary to maintain our status as a “Free and Independent” people.'
Do we?
Free speech is clearly under assault from many directions...media outlet after outlet and law firm after law firm kowtow to Trump and his cronies for even the slightest criticism of his regime. Books are routinely banned from schools and libraries, now with the blessing of SCOTUS. And forget about criticizing Israel - you could be fired or deported or expelled or who knows.
Elections - Can we consider the Electoral College a free and fair election? Are elections where one must show identification not available to millions of people truly democratic?
We have a Supreme Court that is fully in thrall with the President, an authoritarian who regularly sneers at the law and has Congress under his thumb. There is no rule he won't break and no action he can do that will receive any response other than tepid 'concern' from the weak and ineffectual opposing party.
The irony is that once Trump nukes all future election "until further notice" and grants all GOP in Congress a life term, he will no longer need to defer to the Supreme Court...or kowtow to MAGA any longer.
There is some indication that the 11-5-24 election may have been rigged, as spelled out by several people who know how the machines and other aspects to our elections work then analyzed those results, something they regularly do. Seems plausible when people like musk and his merry band of questionable data "analysts" might have already been available to "assist"... Regardless, I keep wondering what legitimate state election administrators might be doing to protect against this kind, and other, "shenanigans".... IF the king even allows a Nov. 2026 election...
At 10am on July 4, the Declaration of Independence is read aloud from the balcony of the Massachusetts Old State House, where it was first read. It only takes about 10 minutes. It's POWERFUL to see and to hear. I encourage everyone to come together on every July 4 and read it as a group. You can watch a previous year's reading here:
Although the Declaration of Independence is not law and was a document that led to war, it is revealing to see it matched with today's tyrant and his sycophants.
I noticed you stopped one step short of also describing the REMEDY that the Founders ultimately had to deploy to make that Declaration a reality. Do you fear, as many of us do, that a non-diplomatic, non-peaceful means may be the only way to get back on track with the Founders' vision?! For example, I'm not as confident as you seem to be that Trump is going to ALLOW an election -- the mid-term or any future election -- "until further notice". I mean, do you honestly believe Trump will risk allowing the GOP to lose power at this point, and do you honestly believe Trump will ever leave the White House on his own volition during his lifetime?
In his mind, all he needs to to is declare war on ANYTHING so he can claim "special wartime powers" and "suspend" the elections due to the nationwide threat to our national security. Doesn't matter what he considers to be a war as long as he construes it to be an "official act" as POTUS. Anything is game to declare war against: Canada, Greenland, Panama, EU, NATO, immigrants, activist judges, universities, fentanyl, LBGTQ, you name it, it's game for "war". WAKE UP, America!!!
Yep, and it's scary to realize how many in congress behave as though an election will be what can "save" us. I say we cannot make that gamble! We have to act NOW as though there will be no elections.
Given the fact that he could care less about any laws, what would stop him from cancelling any election for any reason he can muster? I was gonna say he's probably waiting for vlad's instructions but the latter still holds them even though EVERYONE already knows the results in advance...
Why doesn’t Jeffries present “REAL Citizens who will end up Dying…have them present their testimonials. Tired that these Republicans actually believe they are “Special” for the zip code they were born in, their parents, & their wellness AND not that our & THEIR births are ALL RANDOM!
If you haven't noticed, Jeffries has been up for 2-3 nights in a row organizing every Democrat in the House to introduce floor amendments, to steer town halls and press appearances and God knows what else to dramatize the point of how horrendous this bill is. He's not exactly been sitting on his hands complaining of nothing to do.
The media is sure not publicizing any of this. One of the problems we are facing is that we hear far more noise from and about MAGA than we do about anything that Democrats are engaging in. Just not flashy enough to gain the clicks and profits that media demands may be part of the problem. Another is the right-wing bend of many outlets to avoid Trump's tantrums.
I agree! Why don't we know about the things that are happening, like Jeffries efforts, Raskin's and Whitehouse's speeches being quoted? Why? I know the media are frightened and somewhat cowed, but the truth of what's happening is the truth. You would think the media could stand by blatant facts!
It takes more than that. A long list of sob stories will bore the GOP. They already know full well what strife they are causing. It's why they no longer read bills coming out of Trump's brain, it's why they hold their nose when they sign them, and it's why they've stopped holding town meetings with their own constituents.
I agree however, I think Americans need to hear these stories…I am tired of the too self absorbed & too comfortable! Like you I appreciate Jeffries efforts.
You have made a good start, Jen. The entire Declaration of Independence should be rewritten as a Declaration of Democracy and Human Rights in the United States of America. I am sure you cringed reading the sections about the Tribal Nations, the underlying commitment to a settler colonialism based in white/european/Christian supremacy and all that has caused. Trump is just the latest and most egregious example of that worldview. Maybe, if there is a "silver lining" in this present horror it will be that a majority of human beings in the US may recreate and renew this democracy and republic with a statement that captures our deepest aspirations and hopes for a future that welcomes, provides opportunity, and rebuilds a commitment to mutual care rather than the crass, cruel, and criminal economic politics of the past 50 years, and which have given rise to a murkowski willing to sell her vote for her state while spitting on the rest of the nation. That sale describes all that is unethical, immoral, and undemocratic with our current way of doing things.
On Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles, he has called for something similar, and I believe some followers have gotten their local councils and other governing bodies to actually issue proclamations to that effect. Maybe Jen and Simon should get together on this idea.
A beautiful document that Declaration of Independence, but MAGA insists it only applies to the fair skinned and European (northern European). On the other hand we choose differently and believe the words applied to all, right Mr. Lincoln?
And don't forget Rep. Jamie Raskin's "Preamble" to the BBB which he offered yesterday on the House floor which was entered into the House Record! I don't have the transcript of his words, but I'm sure you do, Jen. Please publish it for all of us!
You can hear Raskin deliver it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/PQOsUtTXnSQ?feature=shared
Thank you! This is a true statement expressed in all of its terrifying summary details, and should be shown to all of the registered and unregistered voters who don't know what is happening to their dwindling earnings and savings, don't know who is causing it, and have been unmotivated and uninterested in voting. Are you all tired of hearing your family and friends say, "Politics? I don't like it, and don't want to talk about it."
And the people who refuse to talk politics, either through apathy or pro-Trump affinity, have put that monster in the White House.
Brilliant.
Many thanks for this. Powerful to hear in Raskin's own voice.
Rep Raskin's comments can only be done by a true scholar of the Constitution. Well done Sir.
Brilliant and inspiring.
Thank you, and I will share.
This is utterly brilliant. It gave me chills-- of both horror and hope. I will share widely. Can you, Jen?-- publish this as an op-ed everywhere?
Great idea.
While I love your writing, I am taken back by Trump's message about the upcoming results of the NYC Mayoral elections where he stated "I pull the levers and hold the cards" for the results of this election. The one tool that "we the people" have is also under threat of compromise by Trump et al. We simply have to do something additional........
And people actually believed his lies when he claimed the 2020 election was rigged. A man with a lifelong history of fraud and gaslighting now letting his true face show more and more as all the filters keeping the dementia in start to crumble.
Children in OK schools are learning it as a part of history, or so I've read.
He talks big lies, but he doesn't have that power unless we retreat. Stand strong, don't let him take what isn't his.
Agreed but if he alters election results, where do we stand not knowing if there are enough of us to hold our position?
my biggest fear; I want to know what those states who can be counted on to hold LEGITIMATE elections are doing to protect their systems... what citizens in the states that do not can be doing..... what organizers can do to ensure the electoral college (ugh) is not compromised....
He talks big, but like most bullies, he backs down when pushed back. That's why we must push hard and together.
Yes..wouldn't it be nice if The Contrarian posted a single article defending Mamdani?
So far its been conspicuous crickets here.
Meidas Touch just interviewed him.... yes; the more we can highlight everywhere these younger candidates with STRONG SPINES, fresh ideas, & plenty of evidence that they've been out & about talking with AND LISTENING TO constituents, the better!!
Right! Thing is, he has been interviewed all over the place, and practically every media outlet of any sort, in the US and abroad even, has reported on his stunning win, and now on the harsh racist backlash against him...EXCEPT The Contrarian.
It's hard not to think that his very progressive policy positions and especially his criticism of Israel's war crimes has something to do with the loud silence here.
What a coincidence!
I read it last night and in several comments I’d made elsewhere last week, suggested updating it for our times.
People were saying no point in celebrating the 4th this year.
I said we have every point to renew our determination to fight to be free of tyrants.
Great minds think alike! You're in good company, Denise.
Judge Michael Luttig wrote a point by point clarification of the colonists' grievances against King George III. It requires quiet and focus to absorb.
Judge Luttig appeared on Jim Acosta's substack video yesterday to discuss it. It's still startling to realize that we are struggling today with the same abuses that our founders listed 250 years ago. Whatever it takes, we will not give up until we win. No Kings.
"The Self-Evident Truths of Freedom—and of Tyranny
Twenty-seven truths about America, our Democracy and Rule of Law, and our rights, freedoms, and liberties."
Judge J. Michael Luttig Jul 02, 2025
https://www.telos.news/p/luttig-the-self-evident-truths-of-freedom
CC, and what great company the Contrarians are!
I’ll see if Jim Acosta has posted the discussion with Judge Luttig.
Thanks for the tip.
"Fight" is an interesting word in this context. I fear that the battle may be a lot more horrific than it was during the Founders' day.
There’s every possibility of that, and I do not think either of us is being overly pessimistic.
Are we, the people of this Nation, capable of fighting all the fights, on all the fronts that need to be fought in order—not just put back behind thick walls and into the deep shadows of this Nation all the enemies of freedom and representative democracy—but to triumph against them?
Are we ready, capable and determined enough to demolish the fascism and fascists of our time?
These are the questions I continually ask myself, and that’s why I wanted to read the Declaration again last night. I needed a boost of courage.
The thought occurred that the Founders had no idea what exactly would happen to them or their families, when they signed and sent that document to England, just as we do not know now, how or if our actions will result in the desired outcomes.
Towns everywhere used to read it every Fourth of July, which was another reason I looked at it and also to see if it was still posted online at gov.com so that anyone could look it up.
Lastly, I wondered if my 8th grade history teacher was making it up, when we studied the Declaration and she said as John Hancock signed he said he made his signature large enough the George III would be able to read it without his eyeglasses.
'we have all the tools (e.g., elections, free speech) necessary to maintain our status as a “Free and Independent” people.'
Do we?
Free speech is clearly under assault from many directions...media outlet after outlet and law firm after law firm kowtow to Trump and his cronies for even the slightest criticism of his regime. Books are routinely banned from schools and libraries, now with the blessing of SCOTUS. And forget about criticizing Israel - you could be fired or deported or expelled or who knows.
Elections - Can we consider the Electoral College a free and fair election? Are elections where one must show identification not available to millions of people truly democratic?
We have a Supreme Court that is fully in thrall with the President, an authoritarian who regularly sneers at the law and has Congress under his thumb. There is no rule he won't break and no action he can do that will receive any response other than tepid 'concern' from the weak and ineffectual opposing party.
These 'tools' are failing.
Your awareness is my awareness. Carry on.
The irony is that once Trump nukes all future election "until further notice" and grants all GOP in Congress a life term, he will no longer need to defer to the Supreme Court...or kowtow to MAGA any longer.
What is a "lift term"? Is that a thing, as described here? If it is, it's sure to happen because evidently, as DJT says, he has all the cards. Sad....
Sorry, yes typo: "life" term.
I corrected it.
Pretty sure that was a typo. Should have been "life term".
There is some indication that the 11-5-24 election may have been rigged, as spelled out by several people who know how the machines and other aspects to our elections work then analyzed those results, something they regularly do. Seems plausible when people like musk and his merry band of questionable data "analysts" might have already been available to "assist"... Regardless, I keep wondering what legitimate state election administrators might be doing to protect against this kind, and other, "shenanigans".... IF the king even allows a Nov. 2026 election...
Why would ANYONE think Trump is going to allow the mid-term election (or any other afterward)? It boggles the mind!
At 10am on July 4, the Declaration of Independence is read aloud from the balcony of the Massachusetts Old State House, where it was first read. It only takes about 10 minutes. It's POWERFUL to see and to hear. I encourage everyone to come together on every July 4 and read it as a group. You can watch a previous year's reading here:
https://bsky.app/profile/lobsternanny.bsky.social/post/3lmwzwrezoc22
This year's reading is going to be especially meaningful as we have a tyrant and his goons destroying what we hold dear.
Although the Declaration of Independence is not law and was a document that led to war, it is revealing to see it matched with today's tyrant and his sycophants.
Unfortunately, it also implies the horror that must ensue if we are to re-install those principles in the 21st century.
I noticed you stopped one step short of also describing the REMEDY that the Founders ultimately had to deploy to make that Declaration a reality. Do you fear, as many of us do, that a non-diplomatic, non-peaceful means may be the only way to get back on track with the Founders' vision?! For example, I'm not as confident as you seem to be that Trump is going to ALLOW an election -- the mid-term or any future election -- "until further notice". I mean, do you honestly believe Trump will risk allowing the GOP to lose power at this point, and do you honestly believe Trump will ever leave the White House on his own volition during his lifetime?
Can he actually cancel elections "until further notice"? Maybe if he declares a state of siege?
In his mind, all he needs to to is declare war on ANYTHING so he can claim "special wartime powers" and "suspend" the elections due to the nationwide threat to our national security. Doesn't matter what he considers to be a war as long as he construes it to be an "official act" as POTUS. Anything is game to declare war against: Canada, Greenland, Panama, EU, NATO, immigrants, activist judges, universities, fentanyl, LBGTQ, you name it, it's game for "war". WAKE UP, America!!!
He's already committing illegal acts and facing no punishment, so yeah... cancelling elections is a real thing to fear.
Yep, and it's scary to realize how many in congress behave as though an election will be what can "save" us. I say we cannot make that gamble! We have to act NOW as though there will be no elections.
Given the fact that he could care less about any laws, what would stop him from cancelling any election for any reason he can muster? I was gonna say he's probably waiting for vlad's instructions but the latter still holds them even though EVERYONE already knows the results in advance...
Why doesn’t Jeffries present “REAL Citizens who will end up Dying…have them present their testimonials. Tired that these Republicans actually believe they are “Special” for the zip code they were born in, their parents, & their wellness AND not that our & THEIR births are ALL RANDOM!
If you haven't noticed, Jeffries has been up for 2-3 nights in a row organizing every Democrat in the House to introduce floor amendments, to steer town halls and press appearances and God knows what else to dramatize the point of how horrendous this bill is. He's not exactly been sitting on his hands complaining of nothing to do.
The media is sure not publicizing any of this. One of the problems we are facing is that we hear far more noise from and about MAGA than we do about anything that Democrats are engaging in. Just not flashy enough to gain the clicks and profits that media demands may be part of the problem. Another is the right-wing bend of many outlets to avoid Trump's tantrums.
I agree! Why don't we know about the things that are happening, like Jeffries efforts, Raskin's and Whitehouse's speeches being quoted? Why? I know the media are frightened and somewhat cowed, but the truth of what's happening is the truth. You would think the media could stand by blatant facts!
I know what you are saying…I am not upset with Jeffries, I try to make my comments not offensive but positive. They are all fighting for us…Thank you
It takes more than that. A long list of sob stories will bore the GOP. They already know full well what strife they are causing. It's why they no longer read bills coming out of Trump's brain, it's why they hold their nose when they sign them, and it's why they've stopped holding town meetings with their own constituents.
I agree however, I think Americans need to hear these stories…I am tired of the too self absorbed & too comfortable! Like you I appreciate Jeffries efforts.
But we also need to hear more from other up and coming, level headed Dems like Maxwell Frost, Elissa Slotkin, Joe Neguse, etc.
How smart you are to suggest these new and upcoming leaders..thanks!
Thanks to you all.
Thanks for so eloquently reminding us all of the stakes, Jen!
Still amazingly relevant. Human nature doesn't change, but fortunately neither does the power of good ideas.
You have made a good start, Jen. The entire Declaration of Independence should be rewritten as a Declaration of Democracy and Human Rights in the United States of America. I am sure you cringed reading the sections about the Tribal Nations, the underlying commitment to a settler colonialism based in white/european/Christian supremacy and all that has caused. Trump is just the latest and most egregious example of that worldview. Maybe, if there is a "silver lining" in this present horror it will be that a majority of human beings in the US may recreate and renew this democracy and republic with a statement that captures our deepest aspirations and hopes for a future that welcomes, provides opportunity, and rebuilds a commitment to mutual care rather than the crass, cruel, and criminal economic politics of the past 50 years, and which have given rise to a murkowski willing to sell her vote for her state while spitting on the rest of the nation. That sale describes all that is unethical, immoral, and undemocratic with our current way of doing things.
Murkowsk's "I got mine" attitude isn't new although it is very toddler-like: I've got mine, and I'm not sharing!
On Simon Rosenberg’s Hopium Chronicles, he has called for something similar, and I believe some followers have gotten their local councils and other governing bodies to actually issue proclamations to that effect. Maybe Jen and Simon should get together on this idea.
Keep on talking Hakeem Jeffries!!!!! Hoping he can go on all day
A beautiful document that Declaration of Independence, but MAGA insists it only applies to the fair skinned and European (northern European). On the other hand we choose differently and believe the words applied to all, right Mr. Lincoln?
also white south africans of course