John Hester
@jwhester.bsky.social
Boomer who still believes that by working together for the greater good we can make the world a better place for future generations. Follower of Jesus, not some charismatic minister.
We learned a long time ago: don't negotiate with terrorists and never try to appease a dictator.
November 11, 2025 at 5:54 PM
We learned a long time ago: don't negotiate with terrorists and never try to appease a dictator.
The new reality is that the GOP doesn't have to do a darn thing. Maybe all that will happen, maybe not. They now know that the Dems will cave, so why not wait a few weeks for better terms of surrender?
November 11, 2025 at 5:53 PM
The new reality is that the GOP doesn't have to do a darn thing. Maybe all that will happen, maybe not. They now know that the Dems will cave, so why not wait a few weeks for better terms of surrender?
I don't know. Feed to hungry child? Resuscitate the dying man? Give oxygen to the suffocating patient? Stop the bleeding of the gunshot victim?
November 11, 2025 at 5:51 PM
I don't know. Feed to hungry child? Resuscitate the dying man? Give oxygen to the suffocating patient? Stop the bleeding of the gunshot victim?
It was illegal for Trump to stop SNAP benefits. FULL STOP No one can assume that he is going to respect this new law when he didn't the old law. Trump is lawless. Stop assuming that we have control over his behavior. He's not in prison; he's in the White House.
November 11, 2025 at 5:48 PM
It was illegal for Trump to stop SNAP benefits. FULL STOP No one can assume that he is going to respect this new law when he didn't the old law. Trump is lawless. Stop assuming that we have control over his behavior. He's not in prison; he's in the White House.
Trump has done more to dismantle the American Empire than Osama bin Laden could ever have imagined.
November 11, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Trump has done more to dismantle the American Empire than Osama bin Laden could ever have imagined.
I think it will be seen as the culmination. I'm not enough of a historian to pinpoint the start, but the response to 9-11 certainly contributed.
November 11, 2025 at 3:23 PM
I think it will be seen as the culmination. I'm not enough of a historian to pinpoint the start, but the response to 9-11 certainly contributed.
The U.S. can no longer be trusted. It's not about who is president at the time, it is about the fact that the American voters have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to preserve democracy (or anything else for that matter).
November 11, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The U.S. can no longer be trusted. It's not about who is president at the time, it is about the fact that the American voters have demonstrated that they cannot be trusted to preserve democracy (or anything else for that matter).
Well I'm just wanting them to even consider the possibility. I am seeing lots of posts this morning trying to tell us all that what just happened was a good thing, or that it was inevitable, and my sense is that all are based on a set of assumptions that no longer hold in the Trump era.
November 11, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Well I'm just wanting them to even consider the possibility. I am seeing lots of posts this morning trying to tell us all that what just happened was a good thing, or that it was inevitable, and my sense is that all are based on a set of assumptions that no longer hold in the Trump era.
I would love to be wrong, and the interesting this is, it won't take long before we know whether O'Donnell is right about this, and I am wrong.
November 11, 2025 at 12:57 PM
I would love to be wrong, and the interesting this is, it won't take long before we know whether O'Donnell is right about this, and I am wrong.
Even a glance at the reaction from regular Dems like me show that most of us have learned this lesson. Why is it that so many whose job it is to learn such lessons have not? Is it inertia about the way things have always worked before?
November 11, 2025 at 12:54 PM
Even a glance at the reaction from regular Dems like me show that most of us have learned this lesson. Why is it that so many whose job it is to learn such lessons have not? Is it inertia about the way things have always worked before?
We are talking about a political party here (GOP) that has demonstrated the will to break the law, if it serves their purposes. I think any analysis needs to consider that things that must/should happen as a result of this development might not happen at all.
November 11, 2025 at 12:53 PM
We are talking about a political party here (GOP) that has demonstrated the will to break the law, if it serves their purposes. I think any analysis needs to consider that things that must/should happen as a result of this development might not happen at all.
I'm not reading the article, but it is impossible to prove a claim that there was "no" happy outcome for the shutdown. Even the smartest person at the Times can't predict such a thing.
Here's one: Trump keeps driving the country toward ruin, and him minions in Congress finally wake up.
Here's one: Trump keeps driving the country toward ruin, and him minions in Congress finally wake up.
November 11, 2025 at 12:46 PM
I'm not reading the article, but it is impossible to prove a claim that there was "no" happy outcome for the shutdown. Even the smartest person at the Times can't predict such a thing.
Here's one: Trump keeps driving the country toward ruin, and him minions in Congress finally wake up.
Here's one: Trump keeps driving the country toward ruin, and him minions in Congress finally wake up.
Conference of the Parties (COP) COP stands for Conference of the Parties and it often refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international meeting focusing on climate. [thank you google]
November 11, 2025 at 12:40 PM
Conference of the Parties (COP) COP stands for Conference of the Parties and it often refers to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) international meeting focusing on climate. [thank you google]
This is one of the few times when I think he got it just right.
November 11, 2025 at 3:21 AM
This is one of the few times when I think he got it just right.
Can you even imagine Trump EVER getting dinner onto the table for kiddos?
November 11, 2025 at 3:20 AM
Can you even imagine Trump EVER getting dinner onto the table for kiddos?
Flood the phones lines of the Crazy-8 to demand their immediate resignation so that we start the process of electing new Senators who will work for their constituents.
November 10, 2025 at 10:28 PM
Flood the phones lines of the Crazy-8 to demand their immediate resignation so that we start the process of electing new Senators who will work for their constituents.
Call to force the Crazy 8 to step down, then we can talk about Schumer.
November 10, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Call to force the Crazy 8 to step down, then we can talk about Schumer.
What did Kelly have to say about the MAGA crowds not just booing Biden but screaming "F**k Joe Biden" at a NASCAR race?
November 10, 2025 at 10:21 PM
What did Kelly have to say about the MAGA crowds not just booing Biden but screaming "F**k Joe Biden" at a NASCAR race?
This woman does not represent the entire party. Be precise with your criticism if you expect to hit the target.
November 10, 2025 at 4:26 PM
This woman does not represent the entire party. Be precise with your criticism if you expect to hit the target.
Voters need to hold her feet to the fire. She threw thousands under the bus for her gut feeling that this time will be different. When she is proven wrong, they need to flood her office with calls, and protest every one of her public appearances.
November 10, 2025 at 4:25 PM
Voters need to hold her feet to the fire. She threw thousands under the bus for her gut feeling that this time will be different. When she is proven wrong, they need to flood her office with calls, and protest every one of her public appearances.