"A society grows great when elders plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit". Amidst a rapidly changing news cycle, is the image of President Biden standing tall boarding Air Force One for his return to the White House. This true Patriot has planted a tree of hope for all America to sit under.
The images continue: Az Senator Mark Kelly, top VP contender, Snoop Dog to carry torch in Paris, "childless cat lady" memes, Fox News cutting away from J.D. Vance's speech, Trump whining about "lying Kamala". The Prosecutor vs The Felon, Democracy vs Dictatorship and hope vs fear.
But the image that stays with me is Sonya Massey. Thank you for saying her name. I fear she will soon be a forgotten statistic on the back pages of history, never to see justice. I hope we will remember, and I hope we will see better days.
Because hope is a beautiful thing. "A thing with feathers that perches in the soul." I've seen it in so many images and posts today. I have seen it in smiles and laughter. And it feels good.
Thank you Sharon. Never short of associations my mind drifted to the library scene in Sophie's Choice and then to Kevin Kline entering the scene, bringing new hope but more challenges; let's hope for a more stable landing of these feathers this time.
Thank you Lucy, history seems to inspire both those who want to move back as well as those who want to move forward. Those who want to move back have a idealized version of history and the leaders of those movements never indicate to what time and place in hisotory they refer to (when and where was America so great that the MAGAs want to return to it?). Those who want to move forward learn lessons from different periods in history and try to avoid the mistakes made in those generations.
It’s a time of dizzying news cycles, hard to keep up with and harder still to process.
I salute your article capsulizing it into these few paragraphs.
I missed the awful story of the mother calling for assistance but instead lost her life. How terribly sad and unfair,
I did not miss the news of Sunday being the hottest ever recorded, in normal times, no one should have missed it nor the IPCC warning I read this morning.
As an American, my focus is on the dramatic political situation that has taken a remarkable turn and infused welcome hope that the presumed Presidential candidate will be Kamala Harris and how strongly she has been embraced with record setting contributions. It provides an amazing turnaround from only a few days ago.
Hope springs eternal within the human breast. May it ever be so.
The change in the country is palpable…dizzying yes, but hope and possibility carry a lot of weight into momentum…
The stories buried like that of Sonya Massey, and many others, are tragic, and it seems unfair that there is no oxygen for these; but at least what’s sucking all the oxygen has shifted from a month of fighting despair, to something to hope for and engage in…
It’s already looking good…in one poll she’s up 2pts, in another she’s tied based on the first 36hrs or so. If RFK stays in its KH’s… that’s pretty impressive after 2days-we still got 90+ to go, but I think Americans at this point, will come out hard for human values, just like France and UK. 🤞🏻
I completely agree with Sharon’s beautiful commentary on your article. So on target; references to Dickens, absolutely appropriate. We have hope again. I feel the weight of Trump lifting already. The exciting entry of Kamala Harris into the presidential race timed perfectly by the consummate patriotism of President Biden, who considers the people first and works for their benefit, an amazing legacy. I am personally excited about the possibility of Mark Kelly as the vice presidential candidate. He could bring so much to the conversation about gun control now given the assassination attempt that left his lovely wife, Representative Gabby Giffords so very diminished and yet her remarkable courage and continued presence with the help of her husband with an smile always is such an asset. Following with great interest this and all the other stories you mentioned that are being drowned in the hourly endless news cycles. Thank you for this. 🕊️
"A society grows great when elders plant trees in whose shade they know they will never sit". Amidst a rapidly changing news cycle, is the image of President Biden standing tall boarding Air Force One for his return to the White House. This true Patriot has planted a tree of hope for all America to sit under.
The images continue: Az Senator Mark Kelly, top VP contender, Snoop Dog to carry torch in Paris, "childless cat lady" memes, Fox News cutting away from J.D. Vance's speech, Trump whining about "lying Kamala". The Prosecutor vs The Felon, Democracy vs Dictatorship and hope vs fear.
But the image that stays with me is Sonya Massey. Thank you for saying her name. I fear she will soon be a forgotten statistic on the back pages of history, never to see justice. I hope we will remember, and I hope we will see better days.
Because hope is a beautiful thing. "A thing with feathers that perches in the soul." I've seen it in so many images and posts today. I have seen it in smiles and laughter. And it feels good.
Gracias por todo, Alex.
Thank you Sharon. Never short of associations my mind drifted to the library scene in Sophie's Choice and then to Kevin Kline entering the scene, bringing new hope but more challenges; let's hope for a more stable landing of these feathers this time.
Great writing.
Love the connection to Dickens that mirrors these extraordinary times we are living in.
You have a brilliant knack for making those connections and weaving into your storyline.
Also putting hope on the agenda when it’s so desperately needed.
Thank you Lucy, history seems to inspire both those who want to move back as well as those who want to move forward. Those who want to move back have a idealized version of history and the leaders of those movements never indicate to what time and place in hisotory they refer to (when and where was America so great that the MAGAs want to return to it?). Those who want to move forward learn lessons from different periods in history and try to avoid the mistakes made in those generations.
It’s a time of dizzying news cycles, hard to keep up with and harder still to process.
I salute your article capsulizing it into these few paragraphs.
I missed the awful story of the mother calling for assistance but instead lost her life. How terribly sad and unfair,
I did not miss the news of Sunday being the hottest ever recorded, in normal times, no one should have missed it nor the IPCC warning I read this morning.
As an American, my focus is on the dramatic political situation that has taken a remarkable turn and infused welcome hope that the presumed Presidential candidate will be Kamala Harris and how strongly she has been embraced with record setting contributions. It provides an amazing turnaround from only a few days ago.
Hope springs eternal within the human breast. May it ever be so.
The change in the country is palpable…dizzying yes, but hope and possibility carry a lot of weight into momentum…
The stories buried like that of Sonya Massey, and many others, are tragic, and it seems unfair that there is no oxygen for these; but at least what’s sucking all the oxygen has shifted from a month of fighting despair, to something to hope for and engage in…
Thanks Nancie, it feels good to feel hope again. I look forward to next weeks polling numbers; I think we may be in for a positive surprise.
It’s already looking good…in one poll she’s up 2pts, in another she’s tied based on the first 36hrs or so. If RFK stays in its KH’s… that’s pretty impressive after 2days-we still got 90+ to go, but I think Americans at this point, will come out hard for human values, just like France and UK. 🤞🏻
Threads tracing another pattern. There are weavers by nature.
I completely agree with Sharon’s beautiful commentary on your article. So on target; references to Dickens, absolutely appropriate. We have hope again. I feel the weight of Trump lifting already. The exciting entry of Kamala Harris into the presidential race timed perfectly by the consummate patriotism of President Biden, who considers the people first and works for their benefit, an amazing legacy. I am personally excited about the possibility of Mark Kelly as the vice presidential candidate. He could bring so much to the conversation about gun control now given the assassination attempt that left his lovely wife, Representative Gabby Giffords so very diminished and yet her remarkable courage and continued presence with the help of her husband with an smile always is such an asset. Following with great interest this and all the other stories you mentioned that are being drowned in the hourly endless news cycles. Thank you for this. 🕊️
I share your hope for Mark Kelly; it seems his star was rising as rapidly as a space shuttle launch in the past 24 hours.
In the time of Dickens. In our time. Three days of news fighting for headlines. Thank you!
Thanks Alex - it was the best of posts
Thanks Alister, I appreciate this :-)
There's a wealth of information out there for those who pay attention. Europe has seen it all before. Maybe listen to European voices ...
Love the Dickens quote.
Thanks for the spring of hope and the news summary. I had missed that Yvette Cooper was named Home Secretary which I think is a very good thing.
Another senseless shooting - I feel helpless reading about those.
Sonya Massey; her name added to a very long list...