#(not to be confused with Lincoln Republicans)

[capricorn-0mnikorn]

7-Minute listen. Aired 31 January 2023. Full transcript at the link.

TL;DR: Yes! Yes it does! Still a Fascinating listen; I recommend listening/reading the whole thing.

Quote:

INSKEEP: The next controversy that's being discussed today is whether, because of its wording, it applies to all officials except the president, or does it also apply to a president?

LEPORE: So there's a whole lot of legal nitpicking around this, which, from a historian's vantage, is nothing short of bizarre. It defies the record of the drafting. It defies the logic of Section 3. And it also defies what originalists would describe as the public understanding of Section 3. There's an incredible terror about Jefferson Davis in particular, who, you know, unlike Trump, had not been president of the United States. He had been president of the Confederacy. But that he would make a bid for the presidency was a real concern.

BLIGHT: And I'd also add, if they tried - they being the court - to use this idea that because Section 3 doesn't explicitly name the president, they're effectively making up a technicality. Because it says anyone who took an oath and held high office. Now, if the president isn't an officer of the United States, then who is?

End quote.

[mightyflamethrower]

Lame-duck presidencies, especially in the last six months of their final term, in general can offer opportunities for America’s enemies to take advantage of a perceived vacuum as one government transitions to the next.

But these normal changeover months are especially dangerous when a perceived weak or appeasing lame-duck president is likely to be replaced by a strong deterrent successor that will likely serve as a corrective to his disastrous policies.

James Buchannan (1857-1861), a northern but pro-South president, was a particularly anemic chief executive. He had done little if anything to try to deal with the growing rift between North and South, especially the furor over the Dred Scott decision and Bloody Kansas. Even when warned, Buchannan did little to beef up the U.S. Army or increase its weapon stockpiles to deter any potential secessionist state.

After Buchannan declined to run for a second term, the South understood that the abolitionist and anti-slavery Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln might well be elected in 1860—given the North/South split within the Democratic Party. And they understood that President Lincoln might well use force to stop secession.

Therefore, in the waning days of the Buchannan administration, after Lincoln’s victory, seven southern states seceded during the presidential transition, a confused North reacted little, more would follow, and a terrible Civil War became inevitable.

During the waning days of the crippled second term of Richard Nixon in summer 1974, communist North Vietnam saw a once deterrent president fatally weakened by Watergate. It was encouraged by a renewed antiwar movement, a likely soon anti-war Congress, and the next president, Gerald Ford—a probable caretaker soon to be replaced by an anti-war Democrat. And so in late 1974 and 1975, the communists renounced ignored peace accords, judged correctly that the directionless US would not help South Vietnam stop a massive invasion from the North, and thereby won the 12-year-long war.

As the Jimmy Carter administration began to wind down and as it was increasingly judged as weak abroad, the new theocratic revolutionary government in Iran stormed the U.S. embassy and took hostages in November 1979. Throughout the next year, Tehran systematically humiliated the U.S., mocked an impotent Carter administration, and rebuffed all U.S. efforts to secure the return of the hostages.

The Soviet Union as well saw the dying and still inert Carter term as ripe for exploitation and so invaded Afghanistan a month later, in December 1979. It too concluded that there would be a year of continued timidity in Washington before a likely remedy from a Republican president—in this case, Ronald Reagan, who had declared his candidacy a little over a week after Iran took hostages with clear promises to restore U.S. deterrence abroad.

We are now once again entering one of these dangerous moments, compounded by a weakening of the armed forces. During Biden’s tenure, the U.S. military has suffered historic shortfalls in recruitment, the disastrous humiliation in Afghanistan, a new DEI commissariat that wars on meritocratic promotions and assignments, the politicization of generals and admirals, the hyped but otherwise inane effort to root out mythical white supremacists and “domestic terrorist” bogeymen from the ranks, and the expulsion of some of our best soldiers for their reluctance to be vaccinated, many of them having developed natural immunity from prior infection.

The Pentagon is short on ships and planes. U.S. weapons stocks are dangerously low, drained by the abandonment of billions of dollars of equipment to the Taliban, the resupply efforts to Ukraine and Israel, the failure of the Biden administration to fund the restocking of our munitions and to ramp up resupply production—and a $35 billion national debt fed by $2 trillion annual deficits.

Add eight million illegal aliens who pranced over a nonexistent southern border, nearly uninhabitable big-city downtowns, an epidemic of violent crime, and a president who resuscitates mostly to blast half the country as “semi-fascists” and “ultra-MAGA” extremists.

Add it all up, and the world abroad agrees America is in a strange, self-inflicted decline and will not or cannot defend its interests, or for that matter itself.

In particular, both enemies and neutrals have accordingly drawn a number of self-interested conclusions about the waning Biden administration and what may follow:

That Joe Biden, to their apparent delight, has in the last three years reversed the Trump deterrence policies and thus has green-lit their aggressions.

That given the ensuing chaos, they have further agreed that Biden’s growing unpopularity with the American people makes it likely that both he and his appeasement policies will be gone by January 2024.

That Donald Trump may well return to office. That would mean a much worse deal for Russia, China, Iran, and its terrorist satellites, and thus recognition that 2024 is a brief window of opportunity for aggression.

Putin remembers that Trump blasted 200 Russian mercenaries in Syria, got out of a bad missile deal with Moscow, upped sanctions on Russian oligarchs, flooded the world with cheap oil, destroying Russian oil export profits, sold once-canceled offensive weapons to Ukraine, and warned what would happen if Putin invaded Ukraine. Of the last four administrations, Trump’s was the only one that saw no Russian cross-border invasions.

China remembers that Trump slapped tariffs on its mercantilist market economy, accused China of birthing the COVID virus at its Wuhan virology lab, increased military spending, forced NATO to spend another $100 billion on munitions, and jawboned more alliance members into upping their military contributions. Beijing knew that to send a spy balloon across the continental United States between 2017-21 would have meant its destruction the minute it entered U.S. airspace. China did not serially threaten Taiwan during the Trump era—and may believe that this year could be the last chance in a decade to confront Taiwan.

Iran has concluded two things about 2024: 1) they do not wish to see another Trump presidency on the horizon that took out its top-ranking terrorist-general Qasem Soleimani, slapped sanctions on its oil, yanked the U.S. out of the flawed Iran Deal, declared the Iranian Houthi satellites a foreign terrorist organization, cut off all aid to the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, moved the U.S. closer to Israel, and warned Hezbollah of consequences should it start a war with Israel; and 2) that the present Biden abdication will likely be short-lived and thus now may be the time to take advantage of a currently directionless global superpower that either will not or cannot deter Iranian aggression.

So what should we expect in 2024? Lacking a strong U.S. patron and sponsor, Israel will be subject to more international calls to leave Gaza, to negotiate with Hamas, and to give up the idea it can “destroy” Hamas.

Hezbollah will likely up its daily barrage of missiles into Israel.

Iran will become more overt in supplying Russia, Hezbollah, Hamas, and the Houthis with weapons.

China will increase its threats to Taiwan and weigh carefully the costs-to-benefits of attacking the island.

The common denominator? All our enemies are right now calculating how best to use their gift of the next 12 months from a non-compos-mentis president and his neo-socialist team that either believes the U.S. is at fault for much of the world’s pathologies or is too terrified to do anything about them.

In sum, adversaries believe there is a rare window of opportunity in which the U.S. uncharacteristically does nothing to deter its enemies, back its allies, or win over neutrals. And over the next year, we can only pray they are mistaken.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

9-11 2001

* * * *

September 11, 2022

Robert B. Hubbell

         The 21st Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks is a solemn but complicated reflection of America in 2022. It is a day of remembrance and sorrow for the victims and their families. It is a day of pride for the bravery of the passengers and crew of Flight 93 and the first responders who sacrificed their lives and health to rescue and recover victims. It is a day that echoes our past struggles, our present confusion, and our hope for the future.

         Separated by 159 years, two US presidents addressed the challenges faced by America in fighting to preserve democracy. Today, President Biden spoke at the Pentagon and stressed the need for eternal vigilance:

         It’s not enough to stand up for democracy once a year, or every now and then — it’s something we have to do every single day. So this is a day not only to remember, but a day of renewal of resolve, for each and every American, and our devotion to this country, to the principles and bodies, to our democracy. That is who we owe those who remember today.

         On September 11, 1863, President Lincoln wrote to Andrew Johnson, the then military governor of Tennessee. Lincoln addressed the challenges Johnson faced in bringing Tennessee back into the Union after its secession and recapture by Ulysses S. Grant (among others). Lincoln wrote,

         All Tennessee is now clear of armed insurrectionists. . . . Let the reconstruction be the work of such men only as can be trusted for the Union. Exclude all others, and trust that your government, so organized, will be recognized here [in DC], as being the one of republican form, to be guaranteed to the state, and to be protected against invasion and domestic violence.

         Lincoln urged that “Not a moment should be lost,” reminding Johnson that “it cannot be known who is next to occupy the position I now hold, nor what he will do.” Even amidst a civil war, Lincoln recognized that he might be voted out of office in the following year’s presidential election.

         In their remarks, Biden and Lincoln recognized that America’s continued existence depends on patriots who “stand up for democracy every day” and “can be trusted” to defend the Union. On September 11, 2001, the heroic actions of the crew and passengers of United Flight 93 served as a testament to the words of Lincoln—although they died not knowing how their actions would shape history.

         Ordinary Americans on Flight 93 defended their nation by preventing foreign hijackers from achieving their objective—crashing a civilian jet into the US Capitol. Twenty years later, American citizens attacked the US Capitol to prevent a free and fair election of the type that Lincoln stood ready to safeguard during a civil war.

         Just as Lincoln assured Andrew Johnson that the Union would protect Tennessee from “domestic violence,” we must stand ready to protect every American from the implied threat of domestic violence that laces Republican hate speech today. As ordinary Americans, we are called to do extraordinary things—sometimes without foreknowledge of the historical significance of our actions, like the passengers on Flight 93, like the 9/11 first responders, and like the Capitol Police who reported for duty on the morning of January 6th.

         The legacy of 9/11 is complicated for other reasons: the Islamophobia that followed the attacks, the wars and loss of life in foreign lands, and the emergence of the mass delusion that has seized “9/11 Truthers.” Twenty percent of Americans believe that the attacks on 9/11 were an “inside job” perpetrated by the US government. They have become fertile ground for conspiracy theories that now threaten our constitutional framework.

         The anniversary of 9/11 reminds us that there is no “harmless” conspiracy theory because each lunacy makes it easier for the next to take root. It is a short hop from the “faked moon landing” to “rigged elections.” Unblinking dedication to truth and reality is the bedrock of democracy. We cannot put that compass aside, or we shall lose our way.

         We must make 9/11 more than a day of solemn remembrance. We must make it a day of renewal, redemption, and action. Two years ago, on September 11, 2020, our first granddaughter was born. Since then, 9/11 has taken on a new meaning. My wife and I see 9/11 as a sign of new life and future hope. But the future we see for our granddaughters will be realized only if we respond to the call of Lincoln and Biden: We must defend democracy every day without fail or hesitation.

In the words of Lincoln, “Not a moment should be lost.” As in 1863, as on 9/11, and as on January 6th, our nation is calling for our help. We must respond with urgency and unity of purpose.

* * * *

[TCinLA Writes “That's Another Fine Mess”]

I wish I could agree with your anniversary comments, but what the past 21 years clearly demonstrate is that we have essentially learned nothing. Learning nothing from events is what we Americans are good at. Always have been since the first colonists bumped into the North American continent and apparently always will be. The road to 9/11 is a long and winding one.

As always, when the chickens come home to roost, as they did 21 years ago, it's never the people responsible for committing the acts that led to the event who make the payment. It's always people who had nothing to do with the acts that led to the event who pay the price.And the lesser men who were responsible for the event were the ones who took advantage of things and went on to make things worse. Because they're the ones who NEVER learn anything.

[ramrodd]

Restoring America's Soul and Sanity: With Dr. Phil

COMMENTARY:

Dr, Phil, the Johnathan Livingston Seagull of the Jerry Springer Cage Match Reality Shoo.

This is the whole thing about the Family Values element of Supply Side economics, to dismantle the social structures of the community family structures depend upon for logistical integrity, Haiti is an example of what that looks like in the extreme, Haiti is result John Galt creates in Atlas Shrugged, The object of the Family Values trope is to shift the tax base for sustaining those social infrastructure mechanics entirely on families generating $50,000/tear or less and completely off people like Betsy DeVos, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos . Family structures are too fragile to sustain that capital burden, All this homeschooling bullshit is all about eliminating any property taxes going to public schools and shifting the tax avoidance to paying the enrollment in anti-DEI Christian Academies. It is all white supremacist bullshit that is forcing the inefficient tribalism of Moses in the Wilderness. In this regards, Dr. Phil and David Brooks "Not David Broch) EW AGENTS OF THE Family Values agenda of the January 6 agenda for the hostile take over of America. David Brooks (not David Broch) is a career Fascist activist, Barack Obama's favority Fascist sociologists. Valarie Jarrett was the Obama gate keeper defending the University of Chicago business model Barack, Michelle and Hillary, Hillary's vote on Bankruptcy Reform was pure Supply Side economics, Nazification is insidious, It is like an evil enchantment that has the spiritual effect of carbon monoxide, You don't know it's killing you until the paramedic comes into focus above your race, January 6 should have been one of those permanent wake up calls for Party of Lincoln Republicans of the Jack Kemp persuasion. David Brooks  (not David Broch)  began his activist career being paid to prove Hillary Clinton was a lesbian as an agent of the anti-DEI agenda of white supremacists. Anti-DEI politics is anti-Family Structures politics, The Jack kemp Republicans in the Nixon White House were committed to a DEI future, Pat Buchanan and the Plumbers were the leading edge of the Elon Musk anti-DEI lobby with Dilbert as their brand. The neo-Nazis are complaining about the emerging coalition of Democrats and Republicans who are  tired of the cultural warfare of January 6 Conservatives committed to the hostile takeover of America by Trump's treason who voted to expel George Santos. The irony, of course, is that the January 6 agenda is trying to prevent Biden from fully implementing Reagan's New Federalism that completes Stage 2  of Eisenhower's 1956 Presidential Platform and launching the final paradigm shift of Stage 3 morphing into the Star Wars economics of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Jack Kemp's playbook for Affirmative Action as a Republican legacy of the Party of Lincoln is organically DEI.  The core ideals of the Declaration of Independence is DEI. Colin Powell was a direct consequence of DEI as a force multiplier for Esprit de Corps and the constant refreshing of the Tree of Liberty by the Army ROTC programs at HBCU like Hampton University, There is nothing more DEI than Eisenhower's 1956 Presidential Platform of the Indiana University School of Business,, if Mark Cuban is any example, If Mark Cuban is a Conservative, he's like Jesse Helms, who was more woke than Rev Al Sharpton, back in the day,: he's my kind of Conservative. Like Mitt Romney, Dr. Phil, like David Brooks (not David Brock) are shills for the right wing Father Knows Best paternalism of  Big Brother Fascism displayed at any Trump rally, By the 2026 mid terms, they will be as irrelevant as Jon Steward and Jerry Seinfeld,   Without relentless Nazification by white supremacists, David Brooks (not David Brock) wouldn't be a featured talking head on PBS but, given the moral confusion of the New York Times since the Pentagon Papers, he might still be  featured opinion writer,, Restoring the Party of Lincoln coalition of the GOP to dominance of the RNC will restore the soul and sanity of the Republican Par

[bookoformon]

Mormon Chapter 2, Part 8. "The Arousal."

The Book of Mormon was instrumental at inciting the Civil War and Emancipation in the United States of America. The effort was obviously not 100% political, there were bullets fired, and many casualties. While this is not desirable, President Lincoln and his colleagues knew the slavers were not going to follow the Torah or the Gospels and free their slaves so he killed them. This is a good thing to think about these days when so many tyrants around the world are refusing to obey the law and step aside and allow legally elected governments to take over.

Donald Trump did not legally win the White House in 2016. The Family Research Council was hired by the RNC and the Trump Campaign to undertake a grass roots telemarketing effort to use information Barbara and David Green who own the Museum of the Bible. Senator Josh Hawley provided the venue, his home, where the effort to take place. All of this is well documented in a major motion picture the Widows, which splices in real live footage of the events within the election fraud.

A nation that swears in an illegally elected president, and then permits the man to attack civil rights, engage in War Crimes, Crimes Against Humanity and then pursues the White House again is not considered a sovereign nation. Free elections are a human right and neither can one just decide to cheat in a federal election and then come what may.

Joe Biden is aware Donald Trump cheated in 2016 and is a pedophile, human trafficker, and War Criminal but has not acted with all the might the law allows to arrest him and close his Party, the Republicans down as penalty for what they have done. Somehow this scum is now appearing on our November Ballot again, and this is confusing. This has to be addressed or other nations do not have to recognize the authority of the goverment of America and that, especially at this time, would be completely disastrous, as would another Trump Presidency.

So, for the sake of all and for the sake of the upkeep of the law, this morning, Joe Biden needs to explain Donald Trumps final arrest to the world this morning and why he allowed this bullshit asshole to creep into our lives and gnaw on our souls.

This is what the verse says he must do, and why: The Republicans have to flee before us and never return to criminalize our government again.

23 And it came to pass that I did speak unto my people, and did urge them with great energy, that they would stand boldly before the Lamanites "the ignorant" and fight for their wives, and their children, and their houses, and their homes.

24 And my words did arouse them somewhat to vigor, insomuch that they did not flee from before the Lamanites, but did stand with boldness against them.

25 And it came to pass that we did contend with an army of thirty thousand against an army of fifty thousand. And it came to pass that we did stand before them with such firmness that they did flee from before us.

The Values in Gematria are:

v. 23: I did speak unto my people. The Value in Gematria is 10571, י‎הז‎‎א, "this one."

v. 24: And my words did around them. The Value in Gematria is 8746, ח‎זדו, hazdo, "the hunter, which is on God's side."

v. 25: And it came to pass we did contend with an army. The Value in Gematria is 11492, יאדטב‎‎‎, yadtev "[are] his hands."

The Book of Mormon is telling us it is time to put a stop to Donald Trump and the rampages of the Republican Party at last. The Republicans are trying to take away the rights of American citizens that are guaranteed by federal and international law and this is taxation without representation and they have to be punished and put in jail for it.

They are not doing their jobs and once again they are submitting a candidate they know has a problem with sex abuse of little kids, cheated in a prior election, and attempted a siege on the government. The people have to stand up for themselves and President Biden has to act or bad is going to go to worse and you know how much we love that in America.

And...now it's time for a little prayer to Barbara...for National Security!

"Please Russians and Chinese and Iranians...and Houthis and Hezbollah and Iraq! Please don't kidnap or torture those people in the Family Research Council or in Babara and David Green's family about that footage they made about the Election Fraud!!! Anyone wishing to wrest secrets from US Republican Senators, Representatives and SCOTUS Justices could easily cut a deal with them. David and Barbara along with their friends in the government were regular patrons of Clayton Green, a DC area pedophile porn trafficker and serial killer. Yet many politicians still have relationships with them. This could be very lucrative for the wrong kind of persons.

So who wants to be a millionaire, since I gave up that opportunity and turned the mother fuckers into the police instead????

Ask them to get Trump to throw in our current Naval Contract Codes, ship locations, missile inventories, and troop movements and you could resell the information for double the money! That's, like, 200% off!

[bllsbailey]

Biden Botches Lincoln Quote, Brands Xi Leader of Russia, Gets Confused Without Handler

Joe Biden attended a black-tie event at the White House, for governors who were in town for the National Governors Association Winter Meeting.

But his confusion seems to be increasing. Even when he has a teleprompter, the speeches are becoming more rambling and disconnected. 

He spoke to the governors about working together to get things done and he referenced a quote from "the man behind me here." He claimed politics has gotten "too bitter." He made an attempt to quote Abraham Lincoln's "better angels of our nature" remark. It did not go well, and I wonder if he even forgot Lincoln's name since he never used it. 

Biden completely malfunctions as he tries — and fails miserably — to read a quote from "the man behind me here" pic.twitter.com/anLx6NEAPx— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2024

And, you know, standing here in front of this portrait of the man behind me here, he — he said — and I want to make sure I get the quote exactly right. He said, “The better angels --" he said, “We must address counsel — and adjust the better angels of our nature.” And we do the — and we do well to remember what else he said. He said, “We’re not enemies, but we’re friends.” This is in the middle of — this is in the — in the part of the Civil War. He said, “We’re not enemies, but we’re friends. We must not be enemies.” 

 Here's the actual quote: 

I am loath to close. We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory, stretching from every battle-field, and patriot grave, to every living heart and hearthstone, all over this broad land, will yet swell the chorus of the Union, when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.

Biden is counseling that we should be "friends" even as he demonizes half the country as potential extremists, even as his DOJ prosecutes his political opponent, even as Democrats try to throw that political opponent off the ballot in multiple states. He just claimed that the Republicans were worse than the racist segregationists he used to pal around with. How can anyone take him seriously? The threat to "democracy" isn't from the Republicans. 

READ MORE: Biden and Democrats Resort to the Oldest Play in the Book: Racist GOP 'Worse Than Strom Thurmond'

Then he rambled on with a debunked story about Xi Jinping, who he referred to as the person who is going to be the "head of Russia," before he corrected himself.   

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2024

I’ve spent a lot of time with Xi Jinping — someone whom I have a great deal of difference with. And I was — when I was vice president, President — my — my president was — told me that he wanted me to get to know Xi Jinping because it was clear he was going to be the head of Russia — of — of China and that he — we had a — we were having problems with Russia at the time and other countries as well. And so, what he said was, “Get to know him. He’s going to be there.”  I — and he couldn’t because he was the president, and he couldn’t travel. So, I traveled 17,000 miles with him throughout the country — our country and — and in — in China, as well.

He claims this had been "documented" and was "real." But in fact, even the Washington Post has debunked the story and given him three Pinocchios on it. Funny that Biden couldn't remember the country that the guy he has spent so much time with leads. And he never seems to get that saying he's close to Xi is not a recommendation, it's a question mark added to all that has come out regarding his family's relationship with the Chinese. 

Then when he was finished with his remarks, he waited there for a moment. No handler came out to tell him where to go, so he said, confused, "I'm right here?"

Biden wraps up his remarks and immediately gets confused as he asks his handlers: "I'm right here?" pic.twitter.com/PMFCVHH2yr— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 25, 2024

Unfortunately, this is the image going out to the rest of the world. That's why even Italy had a skit mocking him, and they weren't the first. Bad actors see this and believe that they can act up in the face of such weakness; this is why we have so much chaos around the world. 

SEE MORE: 

Donors Worried Over Biden's Use of Cheat Sheets, Preselected Questioners at Private Fundraisers

Demented Joe Biden Accidentally Starts Nuclear War in Italian TV Skit

[tjmystic]

There's a really depressingly ironic trend I've noticed between leftist spaces and Christianity.

Specifically, I've seen a BUNCH of posts lately that say something to the effect of, "People in leftist spaces shouldn't be advocating for another group's collective punishment or death. Yes, that includes fascists, TERFs, racists, and abusers." What makes this ironic to me is that this belief is a cornerstone of Christianity (or, rather, what Christianity SHOULD be). They're what I'll call the "turn the other cheek" and "love you enemies" principles. They should never be used to mean "let people get away with being harmful assholes and never hold them accountable," though that's often what it comes down to. Rather, these principles mean the same thing as the posts I'm talking about: hold people accountable, but don't wish them harm. Aim for justice, not retribution. Wanting a whole group of people to suffer for whatever reason doesn't necessarily make you as bad as that group, but that doesn't mean it's a morally correct stance.

That's what those beliefs should mean. They're the same things.

But the same people who make these posts utterly abhor Christianity, and, if you ever pointed out the similarities in ideology, they'd be offended at best and aggressively defensive at worst.

It's no surprise WHY this is the case. Like, I'm not confused by it. The reason is incredibly obvious. (Though, if you don't know, the simple explanation is that Christians act like the exact opposite of what they claim to believe and, at least in America, Christianity is more synonymous with "white supremacist nationalism" or "institutionalized homophobic misogyny" than an actual faith.) Thinking that Christians are inherently moral people is akin to thinking that Republicans are automatically supportive of racial equality (based solely on a surface-level understanding of President Lincoln). Just because a religion or movement began with a certain set of ideals doesn't mean that the people who belong to said movements continued to follow those ideals, whether they pretend to or not.

It's just... ironic.

[dertaglichedan]

2024—America’s Year of Living Dangerously

Add it all up, and the world abroad agrees America is in rapid decline and will not or cannot defend its interests, or for that matter itself.

By Victor Davis Hanson

January 22, 2024

Lame-duck presidencies, especially in the last six months of their final term, in general can offer opportunities for America’s enemies to take advantage of a perceived vacuum as one government transitions to the next.

But these normal changeover months are especially dangerous when a perceived weak or appeasing lame-duck president is likely to be replaced by a strong deterrent successor that will likely serve as a corrective to his disastrous policies.

James Buchannan (1857-1861), a northern but pro-South president, was a particularly anemic chief executive. He had done little if anything to try to deal with the growing rift between North and South, especially the furor over the Dred Scott decision and Bloody Kansas. Even when warned, Buchannan did little to beef up the U.S. Army or increase its weapon stockpiles to deter any potential secessionist state.

After Buchannan declined to run for a second term, the South understood that the abolitionist and anti-slavery Republican candidate Abraham Lincoln might well be elected in 1860—given the North/South split within the Democratic Party. And they understood that President Lincoln might well use force to stop secession.

Therefore, in the waning days of the Buchannan administration, after Lincoln’s victory, seven southern states seceded during the presidential transition, a confused North reacted little, more would follow, and a terrible Civil War became inevitable.

During the waning days of the crippled second term of Richard Nixon in summer 1974, communist North Vietnam saw a once deterrent president fatally weakened by Watergate. It was encouraged by a renewed antiwar movement, a likely soon anti-war Congress, and the next president, Gerald Ford—a probable caretaker soon to be replaced by an anti-war Democrat. And so in late 1974 and 1975, the communists renounced ignored peace accords, judged correctly that the directionless US would not help South Vietnam stop a massive invasion from the North, and thereby won the 12-year-long war.

[alphaman99]

CIVILIZATION HAS BEEN DOWN THIS ROAD MANY TIMES BEFORE....

In the face of these Marxist revolutionaries of Europe in 1848 - many of which were chased out of Europe and soon thereafter found there way in America as editors, generals and agitators working for Abe Lincoln and the Republican Party - and in the face of their incessant push for egalitarian "unity" ever since, to the point that now boys, by law, will get to share bathrooms, lockers and showers with girls in Minnesota public schools, we have this warning from the mid 19th century:

Against a Unipolar World

Do you know what the present Revolution (that of 1848) signifies?

It is the most recent development of Pride. The world dreams of a gigantic unity which God does not plan, nor will He allow it, because it would be the temple of Pride. In every domain, this is the sin of our Century (the XIXth).

Madness for unity has seized all men and this in all things: unity of fashion, unity of civilisation, unity in literature, unity in language. This unity is reproved: it will only end in confusion. The son hastens to leave his paternal home to seek a career in society, which is the unity above that of the family. The farmer abandons his village for the town, to exchange municipal unity for national unity. All peoples cross their frontiers to mix with other nations. This is the Babel of which the Bible speaks.

Juan Donoso Cortes, «Thoughts» published in La Regeneración.

(Juan Donoso Cortès, Spanish Statesman, Philosopher, and Theologian, 1809-1853), Théologie de l'histoire et crise de civilisation, Cerf, Paris, 2013, p. 236).

Courtesy of French Reformed theologian: Jean-Marc Berthoud

[mushi-shield]

[Verse 1] Humans been controlled since the day that they was civilized The truth has been so heavily politicized If you don't who's controllin' you and killin' all the little guys Find out who you're not allowed to criticize Black folks who were never ever actual slaves Fighting with white folks who ain't actual Nazis Controlled by rich folks who use the news to make hate While elite folks control all the political parties It's a big lie, tryna make you pick sides Tryna make you burn the cities down and kill each other, they got sick minds Big lies, dеfund the police so that therе's big crime Then take away our freedom to restore order they let die Play with people, turn men into women Make the counterculture mainstream to mix up the system Change the pronouns, if gender is a spectrum, so is privilege I know poor white folks and black celebrities with millions They starve you wit' a lack of information And only give you facts through a branded corporation Distort your worldview with an algorithm that changes Based on propaganda curated for your engagement [Chorus] We can't be free (No!) Can't have no peace 'til we're on the same team But y'all are sheep (Oh!) Glued to screens, just part of the machine Y'all are sheeple, what do y'all believe? To all my sheeple, nothing's what it seems

[Verse 2] Hollywood been rottin' your brain, controllin' your mouth You say "Lit", "Fleet", "Bet", "Cap", they tryna dumb you down They endorse whatever narrative is popular to shout And use minorities in movies for diversity clout Two sides on the spectrum, but ain't none of 'em honest Took the red pill and the blue pill, spit 'em both in the garbage Bein' woke used to mean you understood you're a target And now it's havin' two good legs and never takin' a step forward If you agree, it's free speech, disagree, it's hate speech Erase it if it came from anywhere except the mainstream Trump supporters labeled as the racists, but that can't be Lincoln was Republican, and that's who ended slavery Science been politicized, it's easy to see A mask became a symbol of which side you believe But you'll never cure a sickness 'til you cure all the greed 'Cause the problem with our natural immunity is it's free Society is broke and want you locked inside a cubicle Addicted to pornography, liquor, and pharmaceuticals Tell you that you're fat and poor and you were never beautiful Then tweet how much they love you when they hear about your funeral [Chorus] We can't be free (No!) Can't have no peace 'til we're on the same team But y'all are sheep (Oh!) Glued to screens, just part of the machine Y'all are sheeple, what do y'all believe? To all my sheeple, nothing's what it seems

[Verse 3] If they can't convince you they confuse you, they want you dumb or dead They divided you by race, religion, income, and sex Made everybody right or left, the hatred got so intense If the other side likes oxygen, you'll put a bag on your head And the conspiracy theories labeled as misinformation It's just the terrifying truth that scares the hell out the nation The system treating you like trash and you got rifles to aim with Just imagine how they'll treat you when your guns get confiscated George Orwell, 1984 was his last lecture George called 'em "thought police", now we call 'em fact-checkers Government surveillance tryna catch you, they don't ask questions Mass incarceration equals capital for cash investments The system isn't broke, it's workin' fine Oppressive and chaotic is how it was designed They say, "If we ain't doin' nothin' wrong, there's nothin' to hide" While their agenda and intelligence completely classified They don't teach you rights in school, you never learned 'em at all 'Cause they're easy to remove if you don't know what they are The only people you can rule are the criminal ones So they force you into corners 'til you're breakin' the law [Chorus] We can't be free (No!) Can't have no peace 'til we're on the same team But y'all are sheep (Oh!) Glued to screens, just part of the machine Y'all are sheeple, what do y'all believe? To all my sheeple, nothing's what it seems

[newyorkprelawland-blog]

Commercialization Surrounding the Important History of Juneteenth

By Irene Lee, New York University, Class of 2025

June 24, 2022

The Emancipation Proclamation was made effective by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. However, those slaves in Confederate states weren't immediately free until finally on June 19th, 1865, two years later. June 19th, or Juneteenth, known as "Emancipation Day" or "Freedom Day" marked the day federal troops arrived in Texas at the stroke of midnight and proclaimed to Confederate state who were gathered in homes and churches that they were no longer under the ownership of another person: in other words, they were "set" free [i].

This celebration and historical day inspired African Americans to start new with their lives, set with aspirations and goals to accomplish on their own. Unites States' current President Joe Biden set Juneteenth to a national federal holiday last year which followed the Black Lives Matter movement that surrounded police killings of several Black Americans [iv]: specifically, the killing of George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black Man who died in the hands of a police officer that was resulted from a choke hold. However, some opposition was voiced from Republicans who stated that establishing Juneteenth as a holiday would very much confuse citizens and force them to choose a specific preferred date along with July fourth.

Recently, this has sparked great debate revolving Juneteenth. Companies have been creating merchandise such as apparel and accessories and have been accused of exploiting this newly marked holiday to earn money. Big names such as Walmart sold baked goods, specifically a cheesecake and ice cream which was eventually shut down and no longer sold due to public complain on social media [ii]. They released a statement that it had "received feedback that few items caused concern for some of our customers, and we sincerely apologize [vi]." Other big box stores such as Dollar Tree and Party City have been selling napkins, plates, and other part supplies which called for people calling these places tone-deaf [iii].

"Companies that are having these picnics for their employees and feeding them fried chicken and watermelon- who made that call?" said Torrina Harris of Galveston. Aside from commercialization, a children's museum apologized for its Juneteenth menu that featured watermelon salad and a food celebration dedicated to Juneteenth was also canceled in Arkansas after a leaked poster that revealed none of the hosts for the event were black [v].

______________________________________________________________

Irene Lee is a rising sophomore at New York University with a double concentration B.A. in Political Science and a B.S. in Media, Culture, and Communication. She plans on attending law school after graduation.

______________________________________________________________

[i] (June 19, 2019) "The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth" Smithsonian. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

[ii] McLymore, Arriana (June 19, 2022) "Some Shoppers Balk at Retail 'Juneteenth' Merchandise" US News. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

[iii] Garcia, E. Sandra (June 17, 2022) "The Good, the Bad, and the Cringe of the Juneteenth Gold Rush" NY Times. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

[iv] Taylor, Bryson Derrick (June 20, 2022) "Juneteenth: The History of a Holiday" NY Times. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

[v] Garcia, Michelle (June 19, 2022) "Juneteenth was Finally Recognized a Federal Holiday. Then Came Commercialization" NBC News. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

[vi] Craved, Julia (June 15, 2022) "Juneteenth Merch is American Consumerism at its Most Crass" Vox. Retrieved June 22, 2022.

Photo Credit: Seattle Municipal Archives

[yourreddancer]

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

June 18, 2022 (Saturday)

Of all we have heard at the hearings of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, Judge J. Michael Luttig’s testimony on Thursday stands out. Luttig is a leading conservative thinker, a giant in Republican legal circles, who worked in the Reagan administration, was appointed by President George H. W. Bush to a federal judgeship, and was on the short-list for a Supreme Court seat during President George W. Bush’s term. In January 2021, then–vice president Mike Pence’s staff turned to him for support to make sure Pence didn’t agree to count out electors; Luttig opposed the scheme absolutely. 

Luttig’s words carry weight among Republican lawmakers. On Thursday, Judge Luttig examined the ongoing danger to democracy and located it not just on former president Donald Trump and his enablers, but on the entire Republican Party of today, the party that embraces the Big Lie that Trump won the 2020 election, the party that continues to plan to overturn any election in which voters choose a Democrat.

“[T]he former president and his party are today a clear and present danger for American democracy,” Luttig reiterated to NPR’s All Things Considered

. And, as if in confirmation, delegates to a convention of the Texas Republican Party today approved platform planks rejecting “the certified results of the 2020 Presidential election, and [holding] that acting President Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. was not legitimately elected by the people of the United States”; requiring students “to learn about the dignity of the preborn human,” including that life begins at fertilization; treating homosexuality as “an abnormal lifestyle choice”; locking the number of Supreme Court justices at 9; getting rid of the constitutional power to levy income taxes; abolishing the Federal Reserve; rejecting the Equal Rights Amendment; returning Christianity to schools and government; ending all gun safety measures; abolishing the Department of Education; arming teachers; requiring colleges to teach “free-market liberty principles”; defending capital punishment; dictating the ways in which the events at the Alamo are remembered; protecting Confederate monuments; ending gay marriage; withdrawing from the United Nations and the World Health Organization; and calling for a vote “for the people of Texas to determine whether or not the State of Texas should reassert its status as an independent nation.”  (JEEZUS, THIS IS THE DEFINITION OF THE AMERICAN TALIBAN!!!)

Luttig said that Republicans must start speaking to Democrats as ”fellow Americans that have a shared destiny and shared hopes and dreams for America.” “We cannot have in America either political party behaving itself like the Republican Party has since the 2020 election.” I’ve been thinking a lot since Thursday of Luttig’s clear-eyed view of the dangers we face in this country today, and of his willingness to cast aside old political loyalties to call them out in order to protect our democracy.

They remind me of nothing so much as Abraham Lincoln’s description of the way northerners reacted to the 1854 passage of a law permitting the spread of enslavement into western lands from which it had previously been excluded. The passage of that law woke up Americans who had not been paying attention, and convinced them to work across old political lines to stop oligarchs from destroying democracy. 

Northerners were “thunderstruck and stunned; and we reeled and fell in utter confusion. But we rose each fighting, grasping whatever he could first reach—a scythe—a pitchfork—a chopping axe, or a butcher's cleaver” to push back against the oligarchic enslavers, Lincoln later said. Regardless of where they started politically, they stood up for democracy together. And while they came from different parties, he said, they were “still Americans; no less devoted to the continued Union and prosperity of the country than heretofore.”

Over the course of the next decade, that new coalition argued and struggled and took the nation in an entirely new direction. It fought and won a war that involved more than two million men and cost more than $5 billion, established our first national money, welcomed immigrants, created public colleges, invented the income tax, gave farmers land, built transcontinental railroads, and—finally—ended human enslavement in the U.S. except as punishment for a crime for which a person had been duly convicted. And, of course, it saved the nation from those seeking to destroy it.

“[T]o my knowledge, I’ve never spoken publicly a single word of politics,” Luttig told NPR about his extraordinary statements. In a later note he added: “I wanted to do this for America and I understood I had an obligation to do it for America. It was my ‘moment’ in my life to stand up, step forward, and bear witness to what I believe and what I do not believe.”

[carolinemillerbooks]

New Post has been published on Books by Caroline Miller

New Post has been published on https://www.booksbycarolinemiller.com/musings/primer-on-how-to-lose-a-democracy/

Primer On How To Lose A Democracy

Mary Trump, Donald Trump’s niece and his ardent critic, lashed out at actress Susan Sarandon the other day.  Sarandon, who is a left-wing activist, had remarked that Democrats were a “do-nothing” party and that voting for them was pointless. Mary Trump replied that the difference between Republicans and Democrats was tantamount to the difference between fascism and democracy, which made voting critical. Moisés Naím, a Venezuelan journalist and now a Distinguished Fellow with the Carnegie Endowment of International Peace, worries about the hollowing out of democracy which comments as Sarandon’s reflect. (“The Dictator’s New Playbook,” Foreign Affairs, March/April 2022, pgs 144-154.) That hollowing out begins when people fear they are on a downward economic and social trajectory. It ends in their devotion to leaders who validate their fears. That shared dystopian view establishes a bond between the leader and the followers. If the bond grows strong, individuals may come to see an attack on their spokesperson as an attack on themselves.  The unquestioning loyalty that follows drives out reason and logic. When Donald Trump, our 45th President, said he could shoot someone in broad daylight and his supporters would applaud, he was right. To enhance loyalty, autocrats cast suspicion upon critics, creating a “them” and “us” mentality. Once that breach is established,  the most outrageous lies are possible. The goal isn’t to brace against the truth but to muddy the water. In the ensuing confusion, followers will commit crimes against their government in the name of patriotism. The January 6, 2021 assault in Washington D. C. is an example. Abraham Lincoln once said, Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man’s character, give him power. Once savored, weak leaders seek power as an end in itself. As Naim explains, they will alter voting rights in their favor, discredit and jail opponents, compromise the courts, end term limits, and silence the media.  (Ibid, pg. 150.) Whether the autocrat is left-leaning or conservative, the steps to power are the same. So are the results–a government riddled with corruption. A government where a few grow rich at the expense of the many.   People who think like Sarandon fail to understand our system of government does matter. It matters more than kitchen table issues–the price of groceries and gas. Democracy is at stake. Without public debate, without a free press, without the assurance of just courts, everyone except the autocrat and the cronies loses. One party in our two-party system has fallen to a corrupt leader.  If we love freedom, we are obliged to support the one that remains. It has the largest tent and debate is still possible.   

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

A bill that would establish a federal holiday on Juneteenth, marking the end of slavery in the United States, passed the House on Wednesday, paving the way for President Joe Biden to sign it into law.

The bill sailed through Congress, passing the Senate by unanimous consent less than a day earlier. The House passed the legislation in a 415-14 vote, with only Republicans voting against it.

“It’s not often when you can stand on the floor of the House and use the terminology, ‘I feel full,’” said Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas, who sponsored the House version of the bill, after its passage.

“Let us come together,” Lee said. “We are here to serve, and there’s more to come, in changing lives, for justice, equality and freedom. That is what happened today.”

The short bill will make Juneteenth National Independence Day the 12th legal public holiday.

Juneteenth, which falls on June 19, marks the date that the last enslaved African Americans were granted their freedom. On that day in 1865, Union soldiers led by Gen. Gordon Granger arrived in the coastal city of Galveston, Texas, to deliver General Order No. 3, officially ending slavery in the state.

The final act of liberation came months after the Confederate Army’s surrender ended the Civil War, and more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation. Lincoln was assassinated on April 15, 1865, two months before his proclamation made it to Texas.

Forty-eight states and Washington, D.C., already recognize Juneteenth as a holiday. But lawmakers argued on the House floor that it is long overdue to become a national day of celebration.

Making Juneteenth a federal holiday is “a crucial step in remembering our past, and it will undoubtedly help us build a better future,” said Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who introduced the bill on the floor.

“I often equate Juneteenth with our country’s inability to communicate,” said House Majority Whip James Clyburn, D-S.C., a member of the Congressional Black Caucus. “The failure to communicate kept them in slavery for another two and half years.”

The legislation was expected to easily pass in the House. Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., who followed Maloney during a one-hour period of debate before the vote, said that he would support the bill, even as he criticized Democrats for rushing the process.

Lawmakers have not had time to consider the impact of “granting the entire federal workforce another day off work,” Comer said.

Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., railed against Democrats for bypassing the committee process in bringing the bill directly to the floor. Higgins nevertheless said he would vote for the legislation.

Some Republicans objected to the naming of the holiday as an “independence day.” They noted that Juneteenth has also been referred to as Jubilee Day and Emancipation Day, among other names.

Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., argued the chosen name will “create confusion” with the Fourth of July, saying, “Why ask Americans to pick one of the two independence days to celebrate?”

Rep. Matt Rosendale, R-Mt., was the only member of Congress to release a statement opposing the bill prior to the vote.

“Let’s call an ace an ace. This is an effort by the Left to create a day out of whole cloth to celebrate identity politics as part of its larger efforts to make Critical Race Theory the reigning ideology of our country,” Rosendale’s statement said.

In a tweet, Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas responded: “Kooky.”

Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., last year blocked a similar Juneteenth bill from advancing through his chamber on the grounds it would cost too much.

But Johnson said Tuesday that this time around, he would not put up a fight.

“Last year, a bill was introduced to celebrate Juneteenth by providing an additional paid holiday for 2 million federal employees at a cost of $600 million per year,” Johnson said in a statement. “They attempted to pass the bill without debate or amendment process. Although I strongly support celebrating Emancipation, I objected to the cost and lack of debate.”

“While it still seems strange that having taxpayers provide federal employees paid time off is now required to celebrate the end of slavery, it is clear that there is no appetite in Congress to further discuss the matter. Therefore, I do not intend to object,” he said.

The legislation was sponsored in the Senate by Edward Markey, D-Mass. The House version of the bill boasted 166 cosponsors.

[ramrodd]

The Evangelical Crack-Up (w/ Tim Alberta) | Beg To Differ\C

COMMENTARY:

Here/'s the thing: all those people at Bulwark were ideologically joined at the hip to Rush Limpdick.  And Rush Limbaugh was not just ideologically spawned by William F. Bukley: Rush is one of Buckley's legion of Ditto Heads Buckley was a god to Limbaugh and all the rant wing radio stations with their constant barrage of, if not spiritually toxic, Fascist sophistry and Nazification disinfromation, His job was to sow moral confusion, I mean, the difference between William F, Buckley and Ayn Rand is that Buckley knew he was spewing disinformation. His particular genius was that he was perfctly charming and intellectually engaging, doint it.

Buckley was a journalist He knew all the rules of journalism and could fashion his editorial position, which basically anticipated Stephen Miller as the Reinhard Heydrich of the January 6 Committee to Install Trump. Remember, the insurgency I describe in the comments Tim Alberta's session at the Barbershop and Binning road Beauty Parlor podcast with Michael Steele the politics and religion of January 6 began as collateral agendas and  converged behind Grover Norquist after the election of Clinton that became the Contract With America and, from there, the criminal invasion of Ira and elected the David Koresh of the January 6 majority in the house, And all these guys at Bulwark were up to their eyeballs in Limpdick's agenda,, And Limbaugh was basically the Orracle of the John Birch Society, which is to say, Buckley's political strategy for the Nazification of America, All those neo-cons who helped who helped flog the  infvasion of Iraq are now trying to blame it on the Jesus Fras, Believe me, it was a collaborative effort, One of the objectives of the John Birch Society is to transform American into an out-law nation in the name of Free Market hegemony, The Project for the New American Century was a Fascist addendum to Buckley''s Sharon Statement as a manifesto for Hegemony as the critical path of America. Bill Kristol, Robert Kagan, John Bolton, that howling  "Freedom Fries" cabal that thought Toby Keith's attempt to cancel the Chick's career for being outspoken Texas women has helped crste the legacy of the woman with a life  threatening pregnancy was denied ,

It is important for these newly woke Conservatives understand that they helped create Trump. That waswhat the game plan was all along, The fact they didn't get the memo, or didn't believe the memo or wrote the memo and are now trying to pretend it was Jerry Falwell make them useful idiots to, at the moment, Steve bannon, the John Galt of the Trump campaign, Bannon probably won't be linked to Jeffrey Epstein because they were funning in different, mostly exclusive. circles and the corc;es Bannon and Trump wre running in is with the Nazification Oligarchs who are the same existential threat to the constitutional authority of the Kremlin that Trump and January 6 is to the US Constitution, ,. Connect the dots with this commentary and Hedrick Smith's "Who Stole the American Dream". I was not aware of the Powell Memo, but it connects dots with the Buckley  plot that I had already connected. And the dots you can connect from the Powell Memo is the US Chamber of Commerce to Steve Bannon and the attempt by Chinese agents  of global Nazification to hijack the Umbrella Democracy movement. Until 2016, the US Chamber  of Commerce had been an agency of the John Birch Society, but they had a collective Come to Jesus moment with the election of Trump, The US Chamber of Commerce did a Mike Pence before the fact to ensure the integrity of the 2020 election, They are unsung heroes of the 2020 Election on the side of wo ever won.

he good news is that Michael Steel  is one of the last of the Jack Jemp Republicans left standing, along with Mitt Romney, and he is already working, along with Nicole Wallace, in restoring the Party of Lincoln  as the dominate coalition of the GOP and neutralize the Nazification Buckley's social engineering in time for the GOP Presidential Convention this summer by being the grass roots write in candicate for Presidnet and conducting a primary process to select his female running mate, It is important Biden win this election for Biblical reasons associated with c capitalism, but my intent is  put hin on a path for a jump ball with Harris in 2028, Michael is more woke than Hillary Conton, or Barack and Michele Obama. He's been a woke Jack Kemp  Republican  his entire life. Abraham Lincoln was woke. Michael Steel is the Second Coming of Abraham Lincoln  the the future of GOP, And American Democracy.

The neo=con's of Bullworks need to acknowledge the evil of Nazification in their lives like Nicole Wallace and then  repent of  past by turning all that energy and imagination into backing Michael Steele and the Dark House candidate on the Party of Lincoln Coalition on the New Federalism ticket and a promise to install the Trump International Hotel  brand on the moon by 2028 to celebrate Trump's

[girlactionfigure]

When Abraham Lincoln declared the first annually recurring national Thanksgiving Day holiday in 1863, he declared that "the last Thursday of November next" would be the date of observance, and that tradition more or less held for the next several decades. Flash forward to 1939..... It was an eventful year: with war breaking out in Europe and conflict continuing in the Far East, the United States declared a state of National Emergency and was activating National Guard units and drafting young men once more. With the U.S. quietly preparing for a war most of the American people thought was none of their business, few saw the crisis that was emerging within their own borders..... ..... that year, November had five Thursdays. So what's the big deal? Well, the big deal was that the holiday shopping season began at Thanksgiving, meaning that, with Thanksgiving falling on the last Thursday in November, 1939 would have one fewer shopping week before Christmas. With potential profits on the line, American businessmen asked President Franklin Roosevelt to intervene. And he did. In August of 1939, FDR announced that Thanksgiving Day would fall on the third Thursday of November, starting that same year. This meant that Thanksgiving NOW would fall on Thursday, November 23rd, rather than a week later on November 30th. This made the businessmen happy, but the calendar printers, football fans, out-of-state college students, and families with travel plans were furious. Many state governors (mostly from the opposing party, and football fans to boot) ignored the change, and instead held Thanksgiving on its usual day. Twenty-three states switched, twenty-two did not, and three observed the holiday on both days. This, of course, caused a LOT of confusion nation-wide, and the political backlash was, well, predictable. And thus was born "Franksgiving" (from "Franklin" and "Thanksgiving"). In 1940, it happened again.... .....then again in 1941. Some called the two different holidays "Republican Thanksgiving" and "Democrat Thanksgiving", and the confusion even was mocked by Hollywood. This series of stills in this post is from a clip from the 1942 movie "Holiday Inn" (full clip posted in comments) in which the cartoon turkey runs himself frantic dashing between the two dates on the (1941) calendar. By the end of 1941, Congress decided to act. On November 26th - the day before the traditional Thanksgiving and six days after the new Thanksgiving, Congress placed on Roosevelt's desk a resolution legally fixing Thanksgiving Day as the fourth Thursday in November, thus solving the problem for the businessmen and the football fans alike. Thanksgiving in 1941 would be the last dual-date Thanksgiving in the United States. It also would be the last Thanksgiving the American people would have before the war from which they wished to hide came and found them, which meant, for many families, it would be their last Thanksgiving Day together in this life.

Historia Obscurum