Thank you for the beautiful piece on HOPE by Vaclav Havel. I have already used it extensively to inspire and uplift people, on Dan Rather's Steady blog. He wrote about Hope in the Middle East. Thank you very much for sharing it and please enjoy the ripple effect of your wonderful blog! I copy it here in case anyone missed it!
Vaclav Havel, a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright and dissident.
HOPE
Either we have hope within us or we do not.
It is a dimension of the soul and is not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world.
HOPE is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.
HOPE in this deep and powerful sense is not the same as joy that things are going well or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not because it stands a chance to succeed.
HOPE is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
It is HOPE, above all which gives the strength to live and continually try new things.
Whatever the reasons Republicans needed to get to 2/3 majority to expell the ex-congressman, I will not complain. He is and was an embarrassment, full stop.
Thx for the reference to the votes on Santos. Fascinating to see the faces and to find the great diversity of the Democrats = women, ethic groups, persons of color; the reverse is few persons of color; fewer women; and a whole lot of white men! Oh dear.
Thank you so much for recommending “A Biden A Day”! I have subscribed to the newsletter and will recommend. Can’t believe I hadn’t come across it before!
I am not celebrating the expulsion of Santos, though I disdain him. The precedent of expulsion after indictment but before conviction is one that may come back to haunt us, as Jamie Raskin has argued.
I understand your viewpoint, but feel that this is a unique case--his many lies and deceptions during his campaign plus the huge amount of evidence the EC put together and the vast array of criminal charges he's been charged with (and to which others in his orbit have already pled guilty) do justify it. I also trust Jamie Raskin--if he feels it was justifiable to vote aye then I feel comfortable with it. But I love that we can agree to disagree on this!
Thank you for today's Resistbot message calling on our Congress to push UN Women to end their abominable silence and speak out against the horrifying sexual crimes against women and girls that were integral to Hamas' brutal slaughter of over 1200 Israeli civilians on October 7.
Hey, Jessica. Looking ahead to December 8, do you think these candidates would be good replacements for the USPS Board of Governors? Thanks for your expertise!
"On December 8th, the one year term extension of Trump appointees Donald Moak and William Zollars comes to an end, and it’s essential that President Biden appoint strong, diverse, and reform-oriented candidates to replace them.
"The Save the Post Office Coalition has called on President Biden to nominate former Representative Brenda Lawrence and policy expert Sarah Anderson to the USPS Board of Governors. These are two public servants who will bring critical perspectives and expertise to the USPS Board of Governors – exactly when the postal service needs it the most."
My bad, Jess. I usually don't read resisbot since I am under the impression it is what people use to communicate by phone instead of through computer. I did not realize different messages were being relayed between the two.
You can use either a phone or a computer to send a Resistbot letter. You can contact them through Facebook messenger or through Twitter, direct messages or through Apple messages as well as through just text.
Thank you for the beautiful piece on HOPE by Vaclav Havel. I have already used it extensively to inspire and uplift people, on Dan Rather's Steady blog. He wrote about Hope in the Middle East. Thank you very much for sharing it and please enjoy the ripple effect of your wonderful blog! I copy it here in case anyone missed it!
Vaclav Havel, a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright and dissident.
HOPE
Either we have hope within us or we do not.
It is a dimension of the soul and is not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world.
HOPE is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.
HOPE in this deep and powerful sense is not the same as joy that things are going well or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not because it stands a chance to succeed.
HOPE is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
It is HOPE, above all which gives the strength to live and continually try new things.
Thank you for sharing it!
Whatever the reasons Republicans needed to get to 2/3 majority to expell the ex-congressman, I will not complain. He is and was an embarrassment, full stop.
Agree.
Thanks Jess- it gives me "hope" everyday when I do as much as I can from your list!
You're the best!
Thx for the reference to the votes on Santos. Fascinating to see the faces and to find the great diversity of the Democrats = women, ethic groups, persons of color; the reverse is few persons of color; fewer women; and a whole lot of white men! Oh dear.
Oh yeah, the visuals really tell the whole story don’t they?
Thank you so much for recommending “A Biden A Day”! I have subscribed to the newsletter and will recommend. Can’t believe I hadn’t come across it before!
Hope it’s useful! I don’t think it’s a newsletter as much as a Facebook page that alerts you to a new post every day
Oh, I meant I subscribed to *your* newsletter! I am the admin of the Facebook group you mentioned. Thank you for highlighting it!
Oh amazing thank you!
Very gracious of you. Thanks.
I am not celebrating the expulsion of Santos, though I disdain him. The precedent of expulsion after indictment but before conviction is one that may come back to haunt us, as Jamie Raskin has argued.
I understand your viewpoint, but feel that this is a unique case--his many lies and deceptions during his campaign plus the huge amount of evidence the EC put together and the vast array of criminal charges he's been charged with (and to which others in his orbit have already pled guilty) do justify it. I also trust Jamie Raskin--if he feels it was justifiable to vote aye then I feel comfortable with it. But I love that we can agree to disagree on this!
Have a great afternoon.
You, too!
Ha! I'll do my best.
It's Hermès, not Hermés.
ACK! And I was so proud of myself for figuring out how to do the accent. Foiled again. Merci.
Thank you for today's Resistbot message calling on our Congress to push UN Women to end their abominable silence and speak out against the horrifying sexual crimes against women and girls that were integral to Hamas' brutal slaughter of over 1200 Israeli civilians on October 7.
Hey, Jessica. Looking ahead to December 8, do you think these candidates would be good replacements for the USPS Board of Governors? Thanks for your expertise!
"On December 8th, the one year term extension of Trump appointees Donald Moak and William Zollars comes to an end, and it’s essential that President Biden appoint strong, diverse, and reform-oriented candidates to replace them.
"The Save the Post Office Coalition has called on President Biden to nominate former Representative Brenda Lawrence and policy expert Sarah Anderson to the USPS Board of Governors. These are two public servants who will bring critical perspectives and expertise to the USPS Board of Governors – exactly when the postal service needs it the most."
Yes I had a Resistbot letter about this very thing in the newsletter this week! Or maybe last.
https://resist.bot/petitions/PXRMUR
My bad, Jess. I usually don't read resisbot since I am under the impression it is what people use to communicate by phone instead of through computer. I did not realize different messages were being relayed between the two.
You can use either a phone or a computer to send a Resistbot letter. You can contact them through Facebook messenger or through Twitter, direct messages or through Apple messages as well as through just text.