37 Comments
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Sandra M. Watson's avatar

I read Just Mercy last week after hearing of it from you and Ken. TY for that. Very glad I read it, wish my retired CO husband would, so I could get his perspective. Alas, unsure he'd give it a chance ( or any bk at this point 😔).

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Ken Tingley's avatar

Great thought-provoking book. Bryan Stevenson is my hero.

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Al Bellenchia's avatar

“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” - Charles Dickens 💕

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Roland Van Deusen's avatar

The news today, at least 51 dead & 27 still missing from the Guadalupe River floods in Texas along a well known "Flood Alley" in the hill country. They got a month's worth of rain in a few hours. The recent gutting of the National Weather Service gave the victims very little warning, and the recent ending of FEMA, means they won't get as much help rebuilding as before. There are no words.

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Bob's avatar
2dEdited

Even as we experience these weather and climate-related tragedies, the Trump administration continues to kneecap our ability to counter climate change. Further, as you point out, Trump is intent on hamstringing the federal government’s disaster response by shifting responsibility to the states, many of which are inadequately prepared.

As if these disasters aren’t bad enough, Trump makes them worse by picking and choosing, in his corrupt fashion, the states he’ll shower with ad-hoc federal support. California received insults and threats from Trump during and after the devastating LA wildfires. Texas receives sympathy and promises of assistance.

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Dominic Tom's avatar

Wasn't long ago Trumpty Dumpty blamed California Dems for the wildfires, saying workers there should "rake" the dead vegetation in the forests to prevent the blazes. So what's he doing for Texas in this disaster? I'm sure the tRump sycophant Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (I prefer calling him Bud Abbott) will claim federal help is coming and sing tRump's praises while blasting the media for reporting on the disaster waiting to happen in the affected region. Some people who've had their heads in the sand all these years should be dunked head-first into the mud.

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Chriss's avatar

We needed to divert the money to privately owned detention camps in the Everglades which will create another public health crisis that lawyer RFK, Jr. which I'm sure, is up for that challenge. If ever one was to sabotage a country..........

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Richard's avatar
2dEdited

...re dating the Bard's plays, yes, fascinating. / -Chronology of Emily Dickinson's poems are, I understand, determined, largely, by changes in the handwriting- tracked by extant letters of hers which are dated; that she shared poems with correspondents, in some of these same letters, also assists in fixing their order. / As we can see from the excerpts you shared, Ross Macdonald is, clearly, a fine writer. (Thank you for the introduction.) When in retail work, two separate times I waited on another fine noirish scribe- and a very nice fellow, too: Mickey Spillane. / "Safe in their Alabaster Chambers - / Untouched by Morning - / and untouched by noon - / Sleep the meek members of the Resurrection - / Rafter of Satin and Roof of Stone -..." -Emily Dickinson / Despite everything going on- i.e. the ongoing despicable & nefarious insanity issuing from the Oval Office and the Congress ("A plague on both your houses!" -Romeo and Juliet), -hope all are being touched, kindly, by this beautiful summer morning...

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bill doolittle's avatar

I've been reading F. Scott Fitzgerald. The end of The Great Gatsby warns, "And so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." Maybe I'll skip reading the news today.

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Kevin Robbins's avatar

It’s nice to read about wonderful people on a sunny Sunday morning. Thanks Will.

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Tanya Goldstein's avatar

A real book is an entirely different beast than a digital one. Books written a thousand years ago can still be read, just like old LP’s can still be played. You can actually see the music on an old record, if you look closely enough—the lines show where the music speeds up or slows down, or pauses. All our digital photos and music are vulnerable to loss of power or changes in technology. I have photos and videos less than 15 years old of my grandkids that are pretty much lost to me because they were stored on devices that are now obsolete and incompatible with today’s devices. But I have boxes of old photographs of relatives dating back to the turn of the last century, still perfectly intact. I try to always have a book on me for those moments where I have to just sit and wait somewhere. Analog all the way!!

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Will Doolittle's avatar

Yes. We're not going to have many records of this time. Think about letters and diaries, which have been important to historians. But we don't write letters or keep diaries any more. And you're so right about technologies that age out. We may have lots of family videotapes in attics 50 years from now, but there will be no way to watch them.

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Tanya Goldstein's avatar

I procrastinated putting my family videotapes onto DVDs, and now I look like a genius. We no longer have a DVD player either!

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Ibby's avatar

Lovely poem. I just finished reading Emily Wilson’s superb translation of The Odyssey in which Sirens figure. I highly recommend it.

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Brad Edmondson's avatar

Another great post, thanks.

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Sara Idleman's avatar

I appreciate ALL your posts, but THIS is a keeper.

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Sara Idleman's avatar

...as are the comments. What a truly horrific week it has been.

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Linda Querry's avatar

Thank you for sharing the thoughts of your big kind heart.

Humans have always had those who were filled with hatred, bent on vengeance, power, and greed, but it has also always had those filled with altruism, honesty, decency, kindness and true patriotism, true love for the common good,

We are at an inflection point, and everyone will need to choose democracy vs fascism., kindness and commitment to human equality vs deceit, betrayal, greed, and cruelty.

Your voice gives those of us who choose a kind humanity a place for community, courage, and hope, Thank you

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Mary Vetter's avatar

It is true that the world is full of kind people. I choose to ignore the fact that many of those same people may hold stances that would be horrifying to me. I pray that our common decency will triumph over the wretched political circumstances that we now find ourselves in. I am glad that you and your wife have kind people in your life. Thanks for writing. I look forward to your posts.

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Charles Kochheiser's avatar

Yes, those small acts of kindness do means so very much as do the occasional notes, phone calls, cards and offers of assistance. Takes me back to George W. Bush's concept of the "thousand points of light" in giving support to others in the face of a dark time!

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Joan's avatar

I haven’t posted a comment here in a while, but I just want to say that I continue reading your columns and finding them wise, moving and inspiring … Thank you, Will!

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Will Doolittle's avatar

Thank you for reading

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David Buchyn's avatar

Most people are nice and kind. It’s not till we start talking about politics that we start

hating each other.

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Cyndie's avatar

The heading statement says it all. I am very glad that you encounter the good and nice people in our area. Sadly the country is not being run by any one even close to kind and nice.

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