We rethink the week with Dean Spiliotis, Civic Scholar and Presidential Scholar at Southern New Hampshire University; Glenn Smith, senior advisor to Progress Texas and a longtime Democratic consultant who managed the winning campaign of Gov. Ann Richards; and Dave Levinthal, who just finished 7 years with the Center for Public Integrity and now political reporter at Business Insider.
JOHN LEWIS – REST IN POWER
We mourn the loss of John Lewis, a heroic inspirational leader, a humble man who loved humanity as much as most people loved him. When asked in June what he would say to people who feel as though they have already been giving it their all but nothing seems to change, Lewis responded: “You must be able and prepared to give until you cannot give any more. We must use our time and space on this little planet that we call Earth to make a lasting contribution, to leave it a little better than we found it. And now that need is greater than ever before.”
“Do not get lost in a sea of despair,” Lewis tweeted almost exactly a year before his death. “Do not become bitter or hostile. Be hopeful; be optimistic. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in *good trouble*, necessary trouble. We will find a way to make a way out of no way.”
ARE WE TURNING INTO GERMANY IN THE 1930s?
We also discuss the extremely frightening federal paramilitary raids on non-violent (Black Lives Matter) protesters in Portland, OR. Hiding their identities, armed with weapons appropriate for warfare against our country’s enemies, these thugs round up non-violent protestors, cover their heads with bags so they can’t see where they’re being taken in unidentified vehicles, all without arrest warrants or probable cause that the protesters violated any law.
Is Pres. Trump trying to intimidate and shut down the social justice protests? Should we worry about even more horrific possibilities than that? I.e., can we feel confident that our democratic elections will take place in the fall? Or will Trump illegally hold onto power by dint of military force and an authoritarian crackdown?
