Make Good Trouble
I’m not sure what civility is anymore. I’m also not sure why Republicans didn’t know that word when Barack Obama was president.
When you choose to have a public life, you gotta take the scorn if you take the praise. Back when I was newspapering, I had people anonymously pay for my lunch. The waiter would say something like, “Your meal has been taken care of by someone who enjoys your writing but wishes to remain anonymous.” I got flowers from people who wished to remain nameless. I got sweet notes.
I also got hate mail, some of it frightening. I got spit on in the grocery store. No kidding, it was on the canned goods aisle by a woman who told me that I was a horrible person for saying that Tom DeLay was a liar and a fraud. When I responded with only a smile, she hauled off and spit on me.
It’s life. I chose to be a liberal columnist in a very red county. You take the good with the bad. It’s the cost doing business.
I did most all of my confronting of public offices on the grounds of the public buildings where they worked. I once followed three county commissioners into the men’s room where they were meeting during a recess to get their stories straight. I became a minor courthouse legend when I caused a crooked district court judge to wet his pants in the courthouse hallway when I confronted him with documentation that could put him in jail.
Congressman John Lewis commanded us all to make good trouble. I try to follow that every day.
I do not believe that violence is ever called for, nor are threats. The people who chose to work for the Trump administration are not immune to criticism. They should be willing to feel a little emotional discomfort to understand how it feels.
They lock children in cages but feel the right to have lunch in peace at a fancy restaurant. I, who have dealt with this myself, say make good trouble.
You nailed it. One of your best posts ever. Thanks.
1A lot of this is taking place in my town (which makes sense because this is where the big shots [sp?] are living and working these days).
DC gave all of 4% of its vote to the Orange Moron, so what do they expect? Rose petals in their paths? I’m actually proud of my fellow citizens who have the moxie to be that “uncivil”. I’m not sure how I’d act if I came face-to-face with any of these traitors. I’m always available, however, to hold their coats.
2If three county commissioners meet in a men’s room even if to share a brotherly pi$$, they have a quorum and should have posted a notice of the pi$$ and published an agenda. Texas’ Open Meetings law is pretty clear on this.
3Jim Wright at Stonekettle Station say people are confusing civility with servility.
4A resume to be proud of. A special lady to be sure.
5I’m sure I’d exercise my right if I came across one of them.
As I see it, their peaceful life after work ended when they refused to face the public and provide the truth.
They supported:
Separating kids from their families & jailing them.
Letting the poor go hungry.
Stood with the NRA, not with the people affected by mass killings.
Took healthcare away from millions.
People are uncivil for good reasons. RESIST. Vote them out.
6Civil? They want civility. I can be civil. Should any of the Dotard45 maladministration find themselves at a dinner table near me, better than using my “indoor voice,” will employ my best sotto voce. Will be sure to inquire of the wait staff what “they” ordered and sotto voce request “anything but, as I would not like the kitchen staff to confuse my plate with one of their plates.” No confrontation necessary. 😀
7Read an article out at Alternet on rump alt-right aide Steve Miller who was cursed by a bartender. Apparently he bought $80 worth of sushi and then threw it away. He must have thought it was suspect. So he was out $80 and hungry.
Fear and hunger are good for these POS.
8The First Amendment is just [pun intended] that … first hold government accountable so that it may flourish and do good for the people and do well in the transaction of its mission.
As noted above servility in the face of power is not civility in the face of an authority. Servility is cowardice.
9Right on, Miss Juanita Jean!
10As Trevor Noah said, it’s not like their pernicious policies only work between 9 and 5.
They better prepare for it getting much worse. You cannot keep doing bad things to people and then cut off the resources to vote fairly. The pitchforks eventually come out. They need to study the French Revolution.
11What Cheryl said. Also using the phrases “dripping knives” and “first against the wall when the revolution comes.”
Gloria Steinem said that men should think twice before making widowhood women’s only path to power. Similarly, if these arrogant buggers continue to ride roughshod over a majority of the populace, they may find out how deeply they’ll regret it. In the meantime, brace for some incivility, boys and girls.
12When sociopaths get told their actions are wrong, they feel threatened. When normal people face someone that disagrees, they… disagree.
I have the most amazing hypocrisy in the last decade(s?), and seen the loyal conservative Right turn into cheating mamby pambies. We draw attention to laws being broken, the public being hurt, and somehow “we” are horrible, violent people.
Gingrich broke something important to our country’s “soul”. Now we have Speakers that tacitly condone cover-ups of foreign intelligence warfare on our society…
13@Ralph Wiggam: Jim Wright was absolutely correct. Authoritarian types, like the present administration, make that mistake regularly. We should correct them as often as necessary.
14Maybe we need a bumper sticker or restaurant placard for our right to freedom of speech, like:
1st Amendment Spoken Here
15I’m getting whiplash from the obfuscation (read: damn lies) in their speech.
We have a local Dem who is currently being called ‘hateful and mean’ (for doing a run-of-the-mill civic service) by people who claim that they were civil for 8 years under Obama ‘while he trashed the economy’ and that, now, they’re ‘just going high’. (It’s not just Melania who’s plagiarizing Michelle .)
I couldn’t make make this stuff up. It’s like interacting with people living in an Alternate Reality.
16Rick: Love that bumper sticker and hope to use it soon.
17The nutjobs who whine about our incivility are the typical perps who try to blame the victim. I forced myself to watch McConnell complaining about the Democrats who refuse to vote for any SCOTUS nominee. “How ridiculous”, says he, pretending that he didn’t refuse to give Prez Obama’s nominee even a chance at a vote.
How he blocked everything Obama tried to do and then criticized him for not doing anything. Here’s your Alternate Reality Crook.
My bumper sticker says “I will give your president the same respect you gave mine. “
18WaPo had an article today about GOPers crying about being “picked on” when they’re called out for their inhumane behavior. I am 100% behind the pickers. Experiencing the Will of the People being expressed is not being picked on, you buncha little weenies. Quitcher whining.
19I think a very civil, “Have you no shame?” is appropriate for any occasion.
20Ralph Wiggam: thank you for your reference to Jim Wright. However, challenging a republican in public is, to me, acceptable since it’s near unto impossible to approach their offices or get your phone calls answered. Forget email and snailmail. I am not condoning actually threatening or touching or shooting them, but as BarbinDC says, we can hold the coats of those less restrained.
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