Paul Richard Hain

Hi Steve,

The news conference with heads of all our intelligence communities was extraordinary!  I believe what they said about the 2016 elections and current Russian cyber attacks was true.  I don't think Trump made a clear distinction in his speech. What I think, underline THINK is that Trump was referring to the "Russian Collusion," accusations against him, which he vehemently denies and calls out as a fabrication of the "fake news" mainstream media and his political enemies.

How else do you explain that Trump's intelligence and security heads all have been given a green light to speak at that press conference?  The even revealed what they are doing to counter Russian intrusions.  Additionally, Trump has threatened more sanctions on Russia if they continue the espionage. All of this would not be happening if Trump believed the Russian threat to be fake news.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

"The only way to save the GOP is to defeat it."

 -- Michael Gerson

"Why vote strategically in this case?  Because American politics is in the midst of an emergency."

"The possible outcomes this November come down to this: Trump contained, or Trump triumphant."

“If Republicans retain control of the House in November, Trump will have proved the electoral value of racial and ethnic stereotyping.  He will have shown the political power of bold, constant, uncorrected lies.”

“A victorious Trump will complete his takeover of the Republican Party (which is already far along).  Even murmured dissent will be silenced.  The GOP will be fully committed to a 2020 presidential campaign conducted in the spirit of George C. Wallace.”  

I remember when the Republican Party was the Party of Lincoln-- it is no more.  Between 1865 and 1870 the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were ratified to establish political equality for all Americans.  It took another century for the promise to be fulfilled in the Voting Rights Act, which has now been gutted by our conservative Supreme Court cheered on by a vocal Jeff Sessions.

Alan A. Alop

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Healthcare is a front and center concern in Wisconsin.

Republican Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has been vocally opposed to the Affordable Care Act, seeking to dismantle the health reform law and refusing to expand Medicaid in Wisconsin, much to the detriment of Wisconsinites’ health.

In an interesting twist,

Gov Walker is strengthening Obamacare in Wisconsin--

he has received federal approval to enact a reinsurance program, which should lower individual market premiums in WI in 2019.  Thanks to Obamacare, Walker expects premiums will be roughly 11% lower.  

Reinsurance also helps the federal government because the lower rates mean it will spend less on premium subsidies for those who qualify.  Those savings will be redirected to the stability plan.  Wisconsin is one of several states turning to reinsurance as a way to stabilize their Obamacare markets by curbing -- or even reversing -- premium hikes.

Why couldn't we support Obamacare sooner?

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Trump’s mantra: “I alone can fix it.”

Obama’s slogan: “Yes we can.”  

Trump poses a test to American values.

Obama asked us to believe in our ability to bring about positive change--

He lit a spark that will not die.

The challenge is ours-- 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

   a respite in life

  R - E - S - P - E - C - T

T-C-B  is short for Taking Care of Business - one of the lines that separates Aretha’s rendition of R-E-S-P-E-C-T  from the original, written and released by Otis Redding in 1965.  

R-E-S-P-E-C-T  -Aretha’s signature song-  became a hit in 1967.  

Beverlee Ann Arpan (Marshall)

Aretha Franklin.  Her music is her legacy. Long live the queen!

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

“Truth isn't truth.”  -- Rudy Giuliani.  

James Comey’s tweeted response: “Truth exists and truth matters.  Truth has always been the touchstone of our country’s justice system and political life.  People who lie are held accountable.  If we are untethered to truth, our justice system cannot function and a society based on the rule of law dissolves.”

The Catholic Church is an earthly institution that is responsible to people.  Somehow all the way up to the Vatican, Catholic clergy (and laity) were not reporting sexual abuse to legal authorities (or complaints were not filed or legal records were sealed).  Repentance and forgiveness should not be confused with one's criminal liability.

The problem is mammoth: Mitchell Garabedian (played by Stanley Tucci in "Spotlight") said, "If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to abuse one."

If you haven’t already, watch “Spotlight”, the 2015 American historical film that follows The Boston Globe’s investigative journalist team “Spotlight” as it uncovers cases of widespread and systemic child sex abuse in the Boston area by numerous Roman Catholic priests.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

If we want to have a functioning democracy,

we need independent arbiters of Truth.

Without Truth "our justice system cannot function

and a society based on the rule of law dissolves."

Gerald R. Ford   from Remarks

Upon Taking the Oath of Office as President  (August 9, 1974)

"I believe that truth is the glue that holds government together,

not only our Government but civilization itself."

From what I see, we are all flawed.

There's no one who has my blind trust-

certainly not Comey, Giuliani, or Trump.

If I can forgive deeply flawed religious leaders working in the system,

I can forgive Comey and listen to what the man says...

I listen and read and search for Truth.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

“America is slouching toward autocracy”.

“In their book, How Democracies Die, political scientists Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt write: ‘How do elected authoritarians shatter the democratic institutions that are supposed to constrain them?  Some do it in one fell swoop.  But more often the assault on democracy begins slowly...

‘The erosion of democracy takes place piecemeal, often in baby steps.’  

“Our politics proceeds as if it’s business as usual.

“Slowly Trump has accustomed us to behavior that, in all probability would be career-ending for others.  

“We know what a military coup looks like.

“As Levitsky and Ziblatt note: ‘a slow-motion dismantling of rules, norms, and expectations can be more insidious because we don’t even notice what’s happening to us.’ ”  

E.J. Dionne Jr.    August 19, 2018  The Washington Post

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Trump revoked former CIA director John Brennan’s security clearance (confessed in a Wall Street Journal interview it's because he objected to Brennan doing his job in 2016 by probing connections between Trump’s campaign and Russia) in retaliation for Brennan’s criticism of him.

Admiral William McRaven stepped forward in a Spartacus moment--

National Security Officers - 250 and counting - continue stepping forward to denounce Trump for revoking security clearances for political reasons.  

Marvin Irving Blusteln

Janis, you most assuredly are not clueless.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Happy Birthday, Scott.

You're the kid in our class.

with special thanks for maintaining the Forum,

best wishes for a happy day and year.

Janis

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

For those of you who wonder how I can forgive priests who have sexually abused children, let me be clear: it is harder to forgive the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church who I see as responsible for this morally reprehensible behavior--

The hierarchy looked the other way and enabled heinous activity in the church. 

Watch "Spotlight"-- for a glimpse how mammoth the support system for this crime in Boston. 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Trump claims it's a witch hunt...

unfortunately for him,

witches are falling from their broomsticks. 

TRUTH  IS  TRUTH.

***Jury rendered its verdict in Manafort case.  Verdict is Latin for...

    to speak truth     verum = truth   and    dicto = to speak    

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Why do Republicans remain silent about what Drudge calls “Trump Hell Hour” ?

Carol, time has come to try to cross the political divide to understand one another.

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Carol,

Beyond imposing his loyalties and beliefs on Americans, Donald Trump is trying to silence our voices.  He has assaulted the media, our Intelligence officials, the Department of Justice.  Excuse me for saying I have a hard time understanding the support Donald Trump has as he works to dismantle the fundamental institutions of our country.  He is attacking the very basis of our nation’s ability to determine what is true so we might come together in support of our government.

How / why are Americans allowing politics to divide us?

Never in the history of the United States has there been a president whose entire campaign was based on dividing the nation on racial, political, and religious lines.  Beyond that, President Trump’s behavior toward our country's allies and neighbors has been horrendous.  And as a nation of immigrants, his policy of separating children, including infants and toddlers, from parents seeking asylum in the U.S. from various forms of terror is unparalleled.

I have deep concern about the way our president acts, speaks, and represents our country.  I recognize there are a variety of reasons a person might have voted for Donald Trump.  What concerns me is the continuing support for a president who does not seem to understand or value our form of government-- which is the bond that binds us together as Americans.  Without justice, civility is of no merit.

David St. Pierre Bantz

Via ancestry.com's DNA testing and matching, I recently discovered siblings I never met (or knew of, though they had known of me). Four of the five children of Alice St. Pierre and other family gathered last weekend for the first time ever, on Camano Island on Puget Sound. That's Sandy, me, JoAnn, and Larry.

We happen to be in birth order in this pic: Sandy's the oldest. 

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

Wow! that's amazing, David.  How old, young are the family members (re)united on Camano Island on Puget Sound?  Are the four siblings you listed in birth order?  Who was not with you? and what place in birth order of your siblings?  Where did Alice St. Pierre live during her childbearing years?  Did you recognize uncanny similarities with your sibs?  How was it and for how long did your sibs know of you?  Did they know where you were?  Do you have plans to meet again?

I am very happy for you and happy to hear your surprising good news. Janis

Ronald I. Zager

Janis,

If you truly want to understand tr*mp's support from millions of Americans I suggest you read "The Great Revolt:  Inside the Populist Coalition Reshaping American Politics".  It includes in-depth interviews with many citizens, often former Democratic voters, who favored him in 2016 (and still do) for a variety of reasons. 

And Carol, please don't leave--not for too long, anyway.  If we can manage to discuss issues and avoid criticizing individuals we might be able to learn from each other, as I do reading your all-to-infrequent posts.

It's Mueller Time!  :-)

Ron

Allan Norman Karlin

David:  What a story!!! Can you tell us more about how they knew of you, but you didn't know of them?  Congrats on finding more family!

David St. Pierre Bantz

My siblings and I were raised apart. The other four were reaquainted as adults; they realized there was another sibling (me). I knew I was adopted as an infant and knew my mother's family name, but it was a "closed" adoption. Ancestry.com will (at your option when you submit the DNA sample) identify matches indicating family relation. In my case the test matched the two sisters in the photo as "close relatives" with high degree of certainty. We had a few phone conversations and determined to meet up.

My wife and daughters came as did several other family members. We made dinner for 13 on Saturday. Our sister Diane (youngest sibling) was unable to attend as she was recovering from a serious medical mishap.

I think you can see family resemblances in the photo. My daughters were part of this gathering and noted other behavioral matches in language and mannerisms. All five of us, despite rather different histories, share a lot of attitudes on social and political issues. A cousin (not at this gathering but in touch) described herself in a long message as opinionated and expressing herself forcefully and hoped I wasn't offended; when I read that to my younger daughter she laughted out loud with the comment "maybe it's genetic!" There seems to be a bit of pioneering spirit among us; several members of the larger family made their way to Alaska, and the women in particular seem to have made bold choices to thrive in male-dominated settings.

The St. Pierre family tree worked out by my cousin is wide and deep French Candadian, having been among the earliest French settlers along the St. Lawrence. There have been previous family reunions in International Falls, where several generations of the family live or have lived. Plans are afoot for a reunion next year, but perhaps in a different location (Lake Tahoe has been mentioned).

I corrected my prior post to include the picture I had intended. Here's another - a selfie by JoAnn

Fancy Miss Nancy (Novak)

🤠Howdy and yahoo from Fancy Nancy taking over Texas! Did someone say Lake Tahoe? Did you know I lived there over 30 years? Yes, before moving here to the wild west of Texas, I resided up in the Sierra Nevada mountains at 7500 feet over looking beautiful Lake Tahoe, the largest alpine lake in North America. I skied every day; I kayaked in the summer and I appreciated the cool climate. Last year, before I left, we had 50 feet of snow in our front yard! It was white, clean and beautiful. Texas is definitely different place. But at least I can breathe here without full-time supplemental oxygen. Nobody understands why I would move away from such a beautiful place until I tell them about my ordeal is being on 24/7 full-time oxygen. I needed to live somewhere under 2000 feet. But I really try to embrace Texas and appreciate my new life here. I started to make friends and attend a lot of 50+ activities. I’ve also seen lots of medical specialists. And I’m having massive dental work done. In a couple weeks the rest of my upper teeth will be extracted in preparation for my permanent denture. Flora and Fonda are intriguing to me. The people are warm and open. The best part is that there’s plenty of music 🎶everywhere. Musical entertainment and involvement. After just a few months, I really feel like I belong here and this is my new home. Here’s a story I wrote that you might appreciate:<>>

Janis Kliphardt (Emery)

David, I see the resemblance and love that your daughters noted other behavioral matches.  What beautiful pics-- the four of you look healthy and happy; I hope Diane is on the mend and all five of you will be together with family at your next reunion.  Did you feel displaced as the older child?  How is it to have an older sister and a younger brother and to be one of five?  You are a handsome group-- seems thriving in cold weather is in your genes.  There are amazing stories about family genetics.  I am thrilled to hear your story and see the pics.  Keep ‘em coming!

Paul Richard Hain

Dave Bantz,

Your story about discovering your family is wonderful.  Six years ago, my wife, Dee who was adopted at age 4, discovered she has 12 brothers and sisters!  Your reunion account reminded me of that.  I hope you have many wonderful years together.  God bless!