Ronald I. Zager

And my word, as a displaced Chicagoan now living in St. Louis:  Schadenfreude.

Nancy Doyle (Sudlow)

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Love it!  Seizing the opportunity to have a difficult, but honest, conversation:

“Flaccid.”  

“Schadenfreude.”  

“Harumph.”

⚾️ ⚾️ ⚾️  illuminating to listen to others ⚾️ ⚾️ ⚾️  

                  I advocate for music

                    as a core subject

                      in all schools.

Stewart Myrent

Well, even though there is 1 week left to the season, it's too late for the Cubs.  They blew it!  Big time!  I, of course, was hoping for a sweep of the hated Cardinals, because I knew a split (or worse, as it turned out), or anything worse would not allow the Cubs to gain any ground on the Cards.  In a way, I'm glad, as I was pretty sure that even if the Cubs made it to a wild-card slot, they were going to be one & done.  But a wild-card spot is not even looking very likely, at this point.  But, just wait 'till next year.  Hah!  Go, Bears!  Also, hah.  (Because they don't have a quarterback!)  Maybe it's time to start getting into soccer.  Do the Sting still play?  

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Stewart, too bad we can’t change it all with a Sharpie... lol...  that’s why the 🎾🎾🎾 in my previous post 🎾🎾🎾     >

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

To you who do not vote in one of the early primary and caucus states, if you have an eye on a lower tier Democratic presidential primary candidate, now is the time to get engaged and support your candidate.

The DNC today announced new criteria to qualify for the fifth presidential primary debate to be scheduled in November: 

165,000 unique donors, including a minimum of 600 donors in at least 20 different states, territories, or Washington, DC;

- and - 

Register at least 3% in 4 or more qualifying national or state polls

- or -

Register at least 5% in 2 or more single-state polls in Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada, or South Carolina.  

Qualifying polls for the November debate released between September 13th and until a week before the November debate will count toward certification to participate in the debate.  The most significant change in the new criteria is that candidates have two ways to meet the DNC’s polling requirement. 

There are currently 19 candidates running for the Democratic nomination (the field narrowed again last week when Bill de Blasio dropped out of the race). 

David Steinberg (Noel)

SCOOOOOOB!

David Steinberg (Noel)

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

  Doc, you seized the moment.

  Context is everything.  What a hoot!

  "SCOOOOOOB!"

  In a word, the conversation continues...

  Not a lot to hang on to,  

  - no score in Scrabble -

  but from all that’s been said,

  enough to get the gist...

   "Flaccid."

   "Schadenfreude."

   "Harumph."

   "Sting?"

   "Sharpie"

   "SCOOOOOOB!"

                   I advocate for music   

                     as a core subject

                       in all schools.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Today Tulsi Gabbard qualified as the 12th candidate for the October debate.  Both she and Tom Steyer (the 11th candidate to qualify for the October debate) fell short of the polling requirement in effect for both the September and October debates; they needed more time to meet the polling requirement to join Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris, Andrew Yang, Cory Booker, Beto O'Rourke, Amy Klobuchar, Julián Castro in the October debate.  October's Democratic debate is scheduled for October 15th (and 16th if necessary) at Otterbein University in Westerville, Ohio - will be aired on CNN and co-hosted by CNN and The New York Times.  (Marianne Williamson has met the donor threshold for the October debate and needs 3 more qualifying polls before the October 1st deadline to participate in the October debate.)

Already today, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, Pete Buttigieg, Kamala Harris secured their spot for the November debate.  Many other candidates are close to making the November debate.  Cory Booker is showing stronger poll support than donor support.  Qualification for the November debate closes 7 days before the debate.  The date, timing, and location of the November debate have not yet been announced.  

If you support a lower tier Democratic presidential candidate, it is time to engage.  

(Michael Bennet, Steve Bullock, John Delaney, Wayne Messam, Tim Ryan, Joe Sestak are also in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.)

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

The president has admitted to egregious behavior.  His actions are a “betrayal of national security.”  It is a somber time.

Twelve words and history turned a corner today:

“The President must be held accountable.  No one is above the law.”        -- Nancy Pelosi  

The words are echoed by GOP presidential primary challengers, Bill Weld and Joe Walsh.

In confidence, word is if it were a secret vote, the Senate would convict Trump of impeachment. 

Too bad "Elected officials' first thoughts are about maintaining power," (Mitt Romney, Atlantic Live, October 20. 2015),

and NOT about their oath to "support and defend the Constitution."

Lindsey Graham once said, "Impeachment is about cleansing the office. Impeachment is about restoring honor and integrity to the office."  (January 16, 1999)

Impeachment may be the first thing Donald Trump ever earned.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Meanwhile, what are we doing about gun sense legislation?

Mitch McConnell is the majority leader of the U.S. Senate.

Despite the House bill on comprehensive background checks sitting on his desk, and the demand of Senate Democrats for action, not to mention an outpouring of support for gun sense legislation from Americans across the country, McConnell delays bringing the legislation to the floor, claiming he is powerless to do anything without “guidance from the White House.”  

McConnell's excuse that Congress needs Trump’s approval before voting on legislation is false.  

Presidents have veto power, and Congress can override a president’s veto. 

McConnell has no shame: he lies.

His lie that Congress must wait for Trump’s "OK"

    is shamefully disrespectful of the American people 

 and feigned ignorance of our Constitutional balance of power. 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Trump seems to think he is America, or at least feels completely unconstrained by the rule of law, as though we don’t understand patriotism and treason... alas! greed is a powerful corruptor even with our national security in peril.

Scroll down to read Bill Kristol's Facebook post and also a tweet thread:

“The current president of the United States seems to have no real commitment to the truth, the rule of law, American principles and institutions—or, for that matter, free and fair elections.  And he has lots of supporters and enablers.  That’s the heart of our constitutional crisis.”      -- Bill Kristol

“1. To Republicans who have the honor (and it is or should be an honor!) of serving in the United States Congress: Now is the time to step up.

“2. To Republicans serving in Congress.

Consider Federalist #1: ‘It has been frequently remarked that it seems to have been reserved to the people of this country, by their conduct and example, to decide the important question, whether societies of men are really capable...

“3. ...or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force.  If there be any truth in the remark,...

“4. ...the crisis at which we are arrived may with propriety be regarded as the era in which that decision is to be made; and a wrong election of the part we shall act may, in this view, deserve to be considered as the general misfortune of mankind.’  

“5. Republican members of Congress.

Consider Thomas Paine:

“The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.’

“6. Republican members of Congress.

Consider Edmund Burke:

‘Certainly, gentlemen, it ought to be the happiness and glory of a representative to live in the strictest union, the closest correspondence, and the most unreserved communication with his constituents....

“7. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him; their opinion, high respect; their business, unremitted attention.  It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs; and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own.  

“8. But his unbiased opinion, his mature judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man, or to any set of men living.  These he does not derive from your pleasure; no, nor from the law and constitution.

“9. They are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable.  Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion.’

“10. Republican members of Congress.

Here’s the oath you take. ‘I do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same;

“11. ...that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.’

“12. Republican members of Congress.

It’s time to live up to your oath, your principles, and your traditions.  Not just for the sake of your country but for the sake of your party--the party of Lincoln and Reagan, of Robert Taft and John McCain--it’s time to put country first.  END”

-- Bill Kristol

Nancy Doyle (Sudlow)

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Hi Nancy, were you able to touch base with everyone from Niles West '64 at our 55th?  Were photos taken?

It was good to see Cubs win last night.  Hope they end the season on a strong note and take time to heal this winter.  "There's always next year."

GO CUBS GO! ! !  

👍

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Mr Trump: Our progress as a nation is predicated on honest dialogue (which need not be brutal and disheartening for our diverse population) but a sincere search for solutions for the common good.  You’ve forced us to see beauty and monstrosity equally illuminated.  You’ve brought every awful thing about us out into the open.  

Should we survive your presidency, I fear gravely for our country and the world.  Nevertheless, regardless of what does come to pass, you’ve allowed me the blessing of Truth - truth about me, about you, about our nation.  The division you’ve exposed has shown me I am not alone - I am in the company of those who are equally passionate about who we are as Americans.  I find hope in being reacquainted with others who refuse to be silent when our country is regressing,

and find hope in being reacquainted with others who refuse to be silent when our Constitutional government and national security are in peril.  And for this, I thank you.

with attribution to John Pavlovitz

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

The news cycle is focused on Trump (and "all his men").

Whistles are blowing all over the place.

Americans increasingly support impeachment inquiry / impeachment and removal,

though fewer Republicans than Democrats and Independents.

We are a government of laws, struggling to protect the rule of law -

“the erosion of core democratic norms and institutions has accelerated under Trump.

“In the current polarized environment, impeaching Trump could prove both necessary to safeguard the Republic and profoundly dangerous for its future.”  

Trump is not a Republican - why do Republicans blindly follow him?

What kind of president threatens civil war? threatens to bring the country down with him?...

Is this what Trump means by America First? what he calls patriotism?  

“Trump’s lies and obfuscation, coupled with the level of polarization in the country today, give him the ability to inflict long-term damage on American democracy as impeachment unfolds."

with attribution to Michael Luo   Daily Comment, The New Yorker

Jack Edmund Bookwalter

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

I too enjoy Carol's sense of humor.  However, I find no levity in her amusement seeing democratic institutions totter.  I do not recognize this as the behavior of a conservative.
 

Stewart Myrent

It's been over a week since I last posted, but I have been paying attention to what's been going on, so let me apologize upfront, for being long-winded.  About 1 1/2 wks. ago, I saw an article online (believe it was Yahoo!) by Andrew O'Heir, executive editor of "Salon" magazine entitled "Doomed, Delusional, Divided and Corrupt: How the Democratic Party became a haunted house".  There was too much to recount here, but it was somewhat eye-opening & disheartening.  A few days later, I saw another article, also online, by Greg Weiner, a political scientist at Assumption College & the author of "The Political Constitution: The Case Against Judicial Supremacy", who, in "The Atlantic" magazine, wrote an article titled "The Not-So-Supreme Court", which, to me, hypothesizes that the Founders never intended the Supreme Court to be the final arbiter of what the Constitution means.  "James Madison thus wrote that giving the judiciary the last word on constitutional questions 'was never intended, and can never be proper."  It seems that his thinking is based on the fact that the Judiciary is just 1/3 of our system of checks & balances, only one of our co-equal branches of gov't.  Part of the reason I had not posted for a week, is because I was reading another new release "A Short History of Europe: From Pericles to Putin", by Simon Jenkins.  He writes in a very straightforward, serious & frankly, boring manner.  Although there were laughs aplenty, such as this snippet from Chapter 5, "The New Europeans": "The Vikings were no less active across the North Sea.  The English kingdom of Essex, which by now had recaptured much of the Danelaw, was in 1015 invaded by a force of 200 ships under the Danish leader Cnut, son of Sweyn Forkbeard and Sigrid the Haughty."  You've got to be kidding!  I would NEVER write a sentence (except for this one), that included "Sigrid the Haughty" (or for that matter, included any of the following: "Danelaw", "Cnut" (I'm very leery of that one), or "Forkbeard".  My guess is that one can NOT do a short history of Europe, as, for example, "The Age of Charlemagne" took up a whole 10 pages.  The French Revolution was all of 12 pages & only 11 pages on the "Second World War".  Only 7 paragraphs on "America's War of Independence".  I get it...it's a short history of Europe, so maybe the American Revolution only warrants 7 paragraphs, but no subject or era is covered in depth.  So, if you see any title that starts with "A Short History of ...", I would avoid it.  One last thing, for about 10 or 12 yrs., I have been receiving online "A.Word.A.Day", created by Anu Garg, & yesterday's word was "thinko".  I had never heard that word before, but according to the site, it is a word that denotes "a careless error in thinking.  Etymology: From think, formed on the pattern of typo (typographical error).  Earliest documented use: 1990s."  As I'm getting older, I have been experiencing more "thinko"s.  I want to relate an amazing thing that happened to me a few days ago, but, as this post has run on so long, I will wait to relate this story in the next few days.  

Trudi Ann Davis (Davis)

Dear Carol:

I understand you are a conservative.  I don't understand how you continue to honor a man who lies, has no respect for women, makes fun of the handicapped and thinks nothing about what he says like "If I am inpeached there may be a civil war." He cheated whenever possible the workers who worked for him.  He has made friends with so many of the dictators in the world and relishes anytime he can spend with Putin who is dictator for life.  This is what I find most amazing.  He is in office not because he won the popular vote but because the Russians interferred in the election process purposely to help him win.

Do you not find his behavior objectionable at all?  My Grannie who was  a life long Republican would never have supported a man who was such a trash talker.  She is dead so I can't verify this but she brought us up to believe that manners are what make civilization possible.  President Trump has belittled whenever possible first his fellow Republicans who ran against him.  And it just goes on and on.

I hope that another conservative with manners will run against him.  

Hugs to you, carol

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

To every thing  Turn! Turn! Turn!

There is a season  Turn! Turn! Turn!

A time to weep, and a time to laugh;

a time to keep silence, and a time to speak.

When House Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced the beginning of impeachment proceedings, she invoked the nation's founding ideals--and the need to defend and protect them.

These our serious and somber times...

Unrestrained partisan warfare did not begin with Trump.  Mitch McConnell refused to even consider President Obama's Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland.

Trump has shunted aside norms that shape our governing process - he has undermined the machinery of our government, and undermined NATO.

Autocratic tendencies must be checked.  Politics without guardrails kills democracy.

For democracies to function properly, the norms of civility and forbearance need to be respected.  But neither civility nor forbearance preclude impeachment.

Trump refuses to live up to his oath and undermines the Constitution.

As Ben Franklin said, we have "A Republic, if (we) can keep it."

Trump's phone call to the Ukraine president was not "perfect," it was wrong. 

Read the text of Trump's conversation with Zelensky - it corroborates the whistleblower’s report.  Do not ignore the fact that Trump was withholding aid to Ukraine when he was asking the Ukraine president to target his political opponent. 

The whistleblower is a hero and is protected by law. 

This is not a coup.  Impeachment is constitutional.  

Democrats need to conduct a genuine fact-finding inquiry while being careful to exercise restraint as Republicans likely smear the process.  

As to getting things done: The House has passed legislation that sits on McConnell's desk.

I have great respect for conservatives.  Conservatives who want to protect the Constitution oppose Trump.  There are conservatives challenging Trump for the Republican presidential nomination for 2020.

Please refer back to post #1422.

with attribution to Michael Luo   Daily Comment, The New Yorker

I'll join in the hugs.  It's good to hear your voice, Carol, and Trudi's too.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Trump blinds people.  Remember when he said he could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and get away with it ? ? ?  Trump told us who he is.

He's a One-Man Show who feels completely unconstrained by the rule of law.  He's all about grievance politics, always looking for a fight.

Pelosi and Schumer were ready to work with him on infrastructure and Trump derailed the discussion.  

Trump has no interest in protecting our elections.

Trump promised to deliver a package on gun legislation - where is it?

Marvin Irving Blusteln

God bless Carol.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Question for all Americans:

What is more important to you?

American sovereignty and our national security or loyalty to a president?

Trump doesn’t seem to know right from wrong.  He is now publicly urging both China and Ukraine to investigate the Bidens.  

At some point, raising the bar for impeachment lowers the bar for presidential conduct.

with attribution to Jon Meacham

If the House impeaches Trump, Jon Meacham should be called to testify about impeachment during the Senate hearings.

Stewart Myrent

An amazing thing happened to me this past Fri. night & I wanted to write an extemporaneous note to myself (a la James Comey) so that I might remember as many details as possible later.  I had hurt my back, getting out of the shower the previous AM (Thursday).  I don't know how I did it, but my back was killing me.  I told our former classmate Bob Lawrence (nee Fimoff) & he asked me if I was taking any Advil.  I said, "No".  He asked if I had any Advil.  I said, "No".  He suggested picking some up for the back pain.  So, leaving work, I totally forgot to stop at the closest Walgreen's.  I checked online & saw the closest 24-hr. Walgreen's was on Rollins Rd. at Cedar Lake Rd. & headed there about 11PM.  I found the Advil & as I proceeded to the checkout, I reached in my pocket & realized I had left all my $ (& cards) at home.  I put the Advil down & told the clerk I was sorry, I left my $ at home & I would be back.  Here comes the amazing part - as I was leaving Walgreen's & heading to my car, I heard, "Excuse me, sir?" & I turn  & see a young man, who appeared to be in his early 30's & appeared to be of Asian heritage.  I can see he's holding the Advil I left on the counter & offers it to me.  I say, "No, you didn't have to do that."  But, he hands me the Advil & says, "No, that's okay." & walks away.  I was totally dumbfounded.  After he left, I thought of several things I could have said.  The first was, "I don't know if you believe in a Heaven  or Hell, but if you do, you're going to heaven!"  Then, I thought I should have asked him his name & address to send him the $, but if he refused, ask for his parents' names & address, so I could tell them what a great job they did, raising their kid(s).  But I didn't ask his name & address, or his parents'.  I chalked it up to running into a "good samaritan" & saving me the time to have to go back.  I don't ever remember something like this happening to me.  Is it because I'm elderly?  I don't really care...that young man was properly raised.  I certainly can understand if you'te helping out family (you would expect such a thing), but this help was from a total stranger.