“…constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong...With such a people, you can do whatever you want." - Hannah Arendt
Thank you for reporting on Pat Nugent's presentation, Ken. She is so passionate about voting rights, and so knowledgeable of the history of the fight for women's rights. After seeing the video of what happened to Senator Padilla last night, I had a hard time falling asleep. As someone commented on Substack, if ICE can treat a US Senator that violently in front of cameras, can you imagine how they are treating regular people they arrest on the street? It is madness and cruelty for hire. We all must be vigilant, especially tomorrow. Thank you for your courageous reporting, Ken! 👏👏👏
Despite the audio/video of the California Senator Padilla clearly identifying himself as he raised his voice at the DHS Barbie Doll - Krista Noem’s press conference…she blatantly lied about what happened in an immediate FOX TV interview … and her untruths were echoed by our smiling robot House Speaker…
then hours later at 8PM a lower court federal court judge (brother of retired Supreme Court Judge Breyer) ruled Trump’s takeover of the CA National Guard was unlawful and that GOV Newsome could legally regain command of his state’s National Guard troops by noon today…
GOV Newsome then gave a very impassioned press conference, sounding and looking very professional and presidential speaking his truth re: the abuses toward his constituents AND toward SEN Padilla…
Then before midnight an appeals court judge put a “stay” on the previous judge’s decision…and the issue won’t be addressed again till a hearing next Tuesday…
SEN Padilla’s office is in the same building as yesterday’s trauma drama, and being easily recognizable he was escorted to the press conference by an FBI agent after he already went through the security check to get into his office building. He was ambushed…it was staged to intensely intimidate protesters in all states from this day forward.
Stay safe wherever you position yourself tomorrow everyone. 🙏
P.S. ……I forgot to include the sudden news reports/videos of Israel’s attacks on Iran and Netanyahooo’s justifications …all this before midnight last night.
"That is changing in Washington where new guidelines imposed by the Trump administration will make it about "what you believe" instead of who you know."
The Trump administration has taken federal employment back over a hundred years to the "spoils system." The federal government is now run like NYC’s Tammany Hall, where friends, family, and party loyalists are rewarded with government jobs. Worse, jobs are given to those who can pay the most to line Trump’s pockets. Instead of hiring "only the best," as Trump so often lies about, he hires only the worst.
This country has been unrecognizable for a long time, but most people think that you can see America with your eyes. That’s not how it works. America is not the houses, the trees, the roads and bridges. America is the concept of treating people lawfully, in spirit and in deed.
America hasn’t been recognizable since shortly after 9/11. It wasn’t the terrorist attack that did that, it was the response by the President and many of the people.
If you don’t think so then tell me how writing a memo to legalize torture is something recognizable in America.
I think we lost America when Gore conceded. Three of the lawyers involved on the Bush side are now on the Supreme Court. There is a story there. Trump knows it, nyet?
Also, occurred to me of late that the whiplash of the polarized two-party system was supposed to be somewhat neutralized by an independent judiciary. That is no longer the case.
Yes, in retrospect, but the concession by Gore is absolutely recognizable as being American. But GWB did not have to send us down the path to autocracy.
The insistence by Bush that the election gave him a mandate was (predictably, again in retrospect) Texan and everything that followed paved the way for Trump.
You are absolutely correct about the judiciary. Justices who lied during their confirmation hearings have failed to defend the Constitution as they had promised, instead legislating from the bench and ignoring original intent to get a Constitution they prefer.
"Broadway might consider some more live television screenings after the success of Good Night, and Good Luck last week."
I really enjoyed the CNN presentation of George Clooney's 'Good Night, and Good Luck'. Even through a television screen, one can experience the energy and action on stage right before your eyes. Live!
While it's true nothing that can replace a theatrical performance in person, a live television presentation of a Broadway play is certainly more accessible.
I read: "It Can't Happen Here," two months ago. It was a frightening read, mainly because it was first published October 1, 1935.... close to 90 years ago and because it predicted 2025.
And at light speed, we are watching democracy crumble
Should be everyone’s come to hebrew moment, come to jehus moment. The seconds morals should have kicked in and reality accepted
A US Senator, asking a question, taken to the ground and handcuffed... carted away and “no camera’s allowed.” The argument on the surface is if it can happened to Alex Padilla You can imagine what is happening to a farm workers, cooks, to day labor
Sorry... it has been happening since day one, since Jan20, 2025. That is when the Ukraine war, the War on Gaza was supposed to end. Egg prices... all prices were supposed to come down.
pos_tfnKKK is guilty
hmpy trmPED0 is guilty
stephen miller is guilty
the entire TAC0eaters of the republican party are guilty.
We don’t have three years to stop this... not months, weeks or days. We have hours to save democracy.
The one point that must be made loud and clear and repeatedly, is that in the fascist autocracy of President Windrip in "It Can't Happen Here", labor unions are targeted and ultimately banned in order to fully consolidate power in the hands of the state where labor is nationalized.
This warning must be made loud and clear across America's industries because the only way that the Trump autocracy will be overthrown is by a nationwide strike of labor. We need another Lech Walesa. And, like Walesa, he will have to come from the unions, from the workers themselves. Is he out there? Or, more to the point, does he believe in the cause.
Perhaps not yet. Not until he and his co-unionists realize that soon Trump will be coming for the unions too. That is what autocracy is all about, after all. Complete, undivided control of not only the government, the media, education, but also labor. You don't need to read "It Can't Happen Here" to learn that. Just ask Putin.
Another great issue, thank you. Pat Nugent is a fantastic historian and educator, thank you for being at her talk and sharing her questions. In the spirit of Plato and democracy, the method lives on.
Thanks again for this morning’s “all the news that’s fit to print.”
You briefly mentioned Flag Day. When I was in the USSR in 1990, shortly before we arrived in Kyiv the Soviet hammer and sickle flag had been taken down in front of the government building and the Ukrainian national flag had been hoisted. The same in Estonia, where in Tallin I bought an Estonian flag for five bucks from a little boy selling them on the street.
It gave me a renewed respect for the flag of the USA 🇺🇸 and all it stands for. I used to flly it on national holidays, as my patriotic father taught me some eighty years ago, but now I try to fly it everyday—weather permitting.
If nothing else, it reminds my right wing acquaintances that this flag is my flag, this land is my land, this nation is my nation, too. And that this progressive would like to have a discussion anytime with them about the difference between nationalism and patriotism.
Today, who are the real patriots? Who are the true conservatives? Who are the preservers of the Constitution and the American dream and the values of life and liberty for all?
Your columns have been hitting hard for me recently. The struggle to come to terms with living in the Adirondack Park with its beauty and peace and what is happening in the rest of our land is hard. The desire to stay quiet and avoid the horror is overwhelming. I've started journaling here about the juxtaposition of this place, where the rot is just starting to creep in to America at large, where the rot and horror runs so deep. I will be in Warrensburg tomorrow, not being silent, not being complicit and certainly not being a pawn.
“…constant lying is not aimed at making the people believe a lie, but at ensuring that no one believes anything anymore. A people that can no longer distinguish between truth and lies cannot distinguish between right and wrong...With such a people, you can do whatever you want." - Hannah Arendt
Keep writing! Keep fighting!
Let's see what happens today with the National Guard.
Appeals court scheduled hearing for Tuesday.
Thank you.
Thank you for reporting on Pat Nugent's presentation, Ken. She is so passionate about voting rights, and so knowledgeable of the history of the fight for women's rights. After seeing the video of what happened to Senator Padilla last night, I had a hard time falling asleep. As someone commented on Substack, if ICE can treat a US Senator that violently in front of cameras, can you imagine how they are treating regular people they arrest on the street? It is madness and cruelty for hire. We all must be vigilant, especially tomorrow. Thank you for your courageous reporting, Ken! 👏👏👏
Elise Stefanik will be attending Trump's parade on Sat.
https://www.masslive.com/news/2025/06/heres-how-many-capitol-hill-republicans-will-attend-trumps-military-parade.html
I will be protesting from MA.
Hopefully, Boston
Of course she is. Surprise she is not the grand Marshall riding on top of a tank.
Obviously she didn't get that invitation, or she would be there.
Kristy Noem got the top prize this week
TBR wrote a poem today, "Ode to Kristi Noem" , "Kristi Noem is Stephen Miller, With hair extensions and tons of filler".
Despite the audio/video of the California Senator Padilla clearly identifying himself as he raised his voice at the DHS Barbie Doll - Krista Noem’s press conference…she blatantly lied about what happened in an immediate FOX TV interview … and her untruths were echoed by our smiling robot House Speaker…
then hours later at 8PM a lower court federal court judge (brother of retired Supreme Court Judge Breyer) ruled Trump’s takeover of the CA National Guard was unlawful and that GOV Newsome could legally regain command of his state’s National Guard troops by noon today…
GOV Newsome then gave a very impassioned press conference, sounding and looking very professional and presidential speaking his truth re: the abuses toward his constituents AND toward SEN Padilla…
Then before midnight an appeals court judge put a “stay” on the previous judge’s decision…and the issue won’t be addressed again till a hearing next Tuesday…
SEN Padilla’s office is in the same building as yesterday’s trauma drama, and being easily recognizable he was escorted to the press conference by an FBI agent after he already went through the security check to get into his office building. He was ambushed…it was staged to intensely intimidate protesters in all states from this day forward.
Stay safe wherever you position yourself tomorrow everyone. 🙏
P.S. ……I forgot to include the sudden news reports/videos of Israel’s attacks on Iran and Netanyahooo’s justifications …all this before midnight last night.
Just an average day on Planet Earth…
"That is changing in Washington where new guidelines imposed by the Trump administration will make it about "what you believe" instead of who you know."
The Trump administration has taken federal employment back over a hundred years to the "spoils system." The federal government is now run like NYC’s Tammany Hall, where friends, family, and party loyalists are rewarded with government jobs. Worse, jobs are given to those who can pay the most to line Trump’s pockets. Instead of hiring "only the best," as Trump so often lies about, he hires only the worst.
This country has been unrecognizable for a long time, but most people think that you can see America with your eyes. That’s not how it works. America is not the houses, the trees, the roads and bridges. America is the concept of treating people lawfully, in spirit and in deed.
America hasn’t been recognizable since shortly after 9/11. It wasn’t the terrorist attack that did that, it was the response by the President and many of the people.
If you don’t think so then tell me how writing a memo to legalize torture is something recognizable in America.
Some words to think about.
I think we lost America when Gore conceded. Three of the lawyers involved on the Bush side are now on the Supreme Court. There is a story there. Trump knows it, nyet?
Also, occurred to me of late that the whiplash of the polarized two-party system was supposed to be somewhat neutralized by an independent judiciary. That is no longer the case.
Yes, in retrospect, but the concession by Gore is absolutely recognizable as being American. But GWB did not have to send us down the path to autocracy.
The insistence by Bush that the election gave him a mandate was (predictably, again in retrospect) Texan and everything that followed paved the way for Trump.
You are absolutely correct about the judiciary. Justices who lied during their confirmation hearings have failed to defend the Constitution as they had promised, instead legislating from the bench and ignoring original intent to get a Constitution they prefer.
Yes. Yes. And yes.
"Broadway might consider some more live television screenings after the success of Good Night, and Good Luck last week."
I really enjoyed the CNN presentation of George Clooney's 'Good Night, and Good Luck'. Even through a television screen, one can experience the energy and action on stage right before your eyes. Live!
While it's true nothing that can replace a theatrical performance in person, a live television presentation of a Broadway play is certainly more accessible.
Having seen the play from the balcony, it was in some ways a better experience to see the closeups and facial expressions of the performers.
Pat Nugent is correct. This is exactly who we are. But as she points out, we have handled this before. We have transcended this before. Let's go.
I am surprised at our parallels.
I read: "It Can't Happen Here," two months ago. It was a frightening read, mainly because it was first published October 1, 1935.... close to 90 years ago and because it predicted 2025.
And at light speed, we are watching democracy crumble
this:
https://www.msnbc.com/deadline-white-house/watch/nicolle-wallace-calls-out-kristi-noem-s-lie-over-sen-alex-padilla-s-handcuffing-and-forced-removal-241472581982
Should be everyone’s come to hebrew moment, come to jehus moment. The seconds morals should have kicked in and reality accepted
A US Senator, asking a question, taken to the ground and handcuffed... carted away and “no camera’s allowed.” The argument on the surface is if it can happened to Alex Padilla You can imagine what is happening to a farm workers, cooks, to day labor
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFKL1dgu3cI
Sorry... it has been happening since day one, since Jan20, 2025. That is when the Ukraine war, the War on Gaza was supposed to end. Egg prices... all prices were supposed to come down.
pos_tfnKKK is guilty
hmpy trmPED0 is guilty
stephen miller is guilty
the entire TAC0eaters of the republican party are guilty.
We don’t have three years to stop this... not months, weeks or days. We have hours to save democracy.
https://www.nokings.org/
It is unrelenting.
sadly, yes
The one point that must be made loud and clear and repeatedly, is that in the fascist autocracy of President Windrip in "It Can't Happen Here", labor unions are targeted and ultimately banned in order to fully consolidate power in the hands of the state where labor is nationalized.
This warning must be made loud and clear across America's industries because the only way that the Trump autocracy will be overthrown is by a nationwide strike of labor. We need another Lech Walesa. And, like Walesa, he will have to come from the unions, from the workers themselves. Is he out there? Or, more to the point, does he believe in the cause.
Perhaps not yet. Not until he and his co-unionists realize that soon Trump will be coming for the unions too. That is what autocracy is all about, after all. Complete, undivided control of not only the government, the media, education, but also labor. You don't need to read "It Can't Happen Here" to learn that. Just ask Putin.
Com'on Ken start the wave. Get the word out.
Good article! Hear the call folks! Save America from Trump.
Protest!
Join us every Saturday 12 to 1 pm at the Civil War Monument in Glens Falls. We care about our country. You do too.
Another great issue, thank you. Pat Nugent is a fantastic historian and educator, thank you for being at her talk and sharing her questions. In the spirit of Plato and democracy, the method lives on.
Thanks again for this morning’s “all the news that’s fit to print.”
You briefly mentioned Flag Day. When I was in the USSR in 1990, shortly before we arrived in Kyiv the Soviet hammer and sickle flag had been taken down in front of the government building and the Ukrainian national flag had been hoisted. The same in Estonia, where in Tallin I bought an Estonian flag for five bucks from a little boy selling them on the street.
It gave me a renewed respect for the flag of the USA 🇺🇸 and all it stands for. I used to flly it on national holidays, as my patriotic father taught me some eighty years ago, but now I try to fly it everyday—weather permitting.
If nothing else, it reminds my right wing acquaintances that this flag is my flag, this land is my land, this nation is my nation, too. And that this progressive would like to have a discussion anytime with them about the difference between nationalism and patriotism.
Today, who are the real patriots? Who are the true conservatives? Who are the preservers of the Constitution and the American dream and the values of life and liberty for all?
Progressives, fly the flag!
Bravo! They wrap themselves in our country’s flag while they completely ignore or trample on every value it represents.
Your columns have been hitting hard for me recently. The struggle to come to terms with living in the Adirondack Park with its beauty and peace and what is happening in the rest of our land is hard. The desire to stay quiet and avoid the horror is overwhelming. I've started journaling here about the juxtaposition of this place, where the rot is just starting to creep in to America at large, where the rot and horror runs so deep. I will be in Warrensburg tomorrow, not being silent, not being complicit and certainly not being a pawn.
Bravo to you!
June 7, 1941?
So much for "living in infamy."
It fits, FEMA Head Richardson was unaware of “hurricane” season. True Peter Principle in this Regime.
I think it’s time to start calling it "The Donald Principle"….