Your balanced perspective is very reassuring to me. I don’t agree with everything and that is healthy. Thank you for the work you are doing. You are helping.
In the end everything is about Trump. Thanks for criticizing me, I'm not in that group of yours. I stand with Adam without criticizing anybody else! Vietnam Vet (1969-1975) Phoenix,AZ 🫡
Oh look, people like it. 👍You act like I'm selling something.
This article explicitly criticizes the LEFT for calling Adam a "MAGA" and "traitor" only because he supported the Iran strike.
So no, the topic, for once, is not about Trump.
It's about supporting real, on topic debates among people who disagree - and, frankly, it's also about supporting Adam for having the guts to do so when speaking out against Trump and the neofascist GOP as a Republican was and is literally life-threatening.
The last thing we need, right now, is that the left starts turning against people like him. So yes, this is the moment to make clear that we cannot tolerate this kind of "going low" and that we'll only save democracy IF we continue to value real debates.
So here's my follow-up, aside from what I already wrote below.
The ONLY way to fight tyrants is to fight in a DEMOCRATIC way. That is what Adam's post is all about.
We cannot possibly skip the stage where we pause for a moment and ask ourselves what that means, as he asks us to do here. Because today more than ever before, it seems, at moments, as if society as a whole has forgotten what fighting in a democratic way means.
So the question asked here is: why are real debates so important? How to have them? Why separate (for now) fighting for democracy from fighting for specific policy issues? Why are purity tests anti-democratic?
We need to have clarity about this, on a collective level, BEFORE we will be able to defeat fascism.
Just mocking their clown in chief is not enough. Humor is a great weapon but not enough.
And posting stuff only to get "likes" is not enough either... "likes" and "the truth" aren't necessarily the same thing ;-).
Hey so, I happen to agree with you on Iran. Some in this world are so far gone in their genocidal dysfunction that they need to be permanently taken out.
Adding my agreement. Freedom and democracy are supposed to guarantee and protect independent thought and speech. Social media seems to promote "group think" maybe because it's our nature to squelch personal opinions for joining a group, but we need to remember the importance of independent thinking. As a "boomer" I had parents who were horrified by Hitler's concentration camps, uncovered in WWII. They stressed to my brother and me the importance of speaking up about evil. (Led to family conflicts in 1960s, but we reconciled later.) We need to respect the free exchange of ideas, and I think it's a strength when we disagree. We "The People" are always a work in progress.
Absolutely agree. I'm a former lifelong Republican but I'm committed to democracy. That must be the most important focus. Keeping democracy will require much more than lifelong democrats. We are forming a different coalition and we cannot break apart over policies. If we lose democracy, policies won't be optional. Our opinions won't matter.
Exactly. And yet, it feels as if a majority still doesn't get this. They clearly didn't get it last summer. I was horrified (as a progressive) when I saw Jon Stewart MOCKING Democrats for campaigning together with Liz Cheney. Even after the inauguration and the destruction of democratic institutions began, Stewart still didn't understand that fascism was being installed.
We have a lot of work to do. Thank you for standing in the mud with us - including when doing it so visibly and effectively comes with a huge cost to pay (in terms of your own safety and your family's well-being).
Yes, I strongly disagreed with you on the Iran strike. But I strongly appreciate the fact THAT you explained your opinion (and are willing to change whenever you feel you encounter a great counterargument).
Stewart understood it very well. He's been warning about trump and the regime since trump 1.0. He's a comedian. Of course he will joke about democrats campaigning with a republican who was once a staunch trump supporter during first trump term and very conservative. It was surprising and ironic when they joined up with her but it also showed how people were uniting against the very tyranny we see slowly dismantling our government today. During the campaign democrats did send out alarms about oligarchy/autocracy etc and were mocked by people for being alarmists. Maybe if more listened then we wouldn't be in this mess today.
In real life, Stewart was mocking the idea of "fascism" long AFTER Trump was inaugurated, unfortunately.
He still believed that the problem was Trump, and didn't understand that the GOP itself had become neofascist.
And his way of denouncing the fact that Democrats campaigned with Liz Cheney and even got the support of Dick Cheney was highly cynical. He clearly believed that it was a bad idea. That helped undermining the message that campaigning together was designed to send out.
He also put Biden's health centerstage, like most liberal comedians, even though mainstream media did the exact same thing already and no one was informing people of his pretty stellar achievements.
And yes, indeed, Harris and so many other Democrats warned us, during the campaign. But when in September Harris finally used the word "fascist", Stewart again laughed it away. Not helpful...
The bombing of of fordow may be correct, but Donald trump is the wrong person to do it, just like george bush was the wrong person to remove saddam hussein from power. George bush was wrong about weapons of mass destruction. President Trump stated that he gave Iran permission to bomb a U.S. base in Qatar, claiming they provided advance notice before the attack. It is not enough to do the RIGHT thing, it must be the RIGHT people doing it.
Your commentary makes good sense, but unfortunately, Trump is the only one we have now. It ain't good, you are so right, and Bush was not the right guy either, but not sure how that can be fixed in this moment in time.
“He [Dr. John Trump] was a professor of engineering at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 44 years.
According to MIT, Prof Trump focused on high voltage phenomena, electron acceleration and the interaction of radiation with living and non-living matter. He also designed X-ray generators for cancer therapy.”
So, according to agent orange, he inherited ‘smart’ genes from his brilliant uncle which explains why he’s a stable genius🤨 I think those genes were turned off in agent orange’s DNA🤓 He is at the opposite end of the spectrum from genius.
Adam, you have absolutely nailed it with this piece. It’s everything that is wrong today, people just leveling accusations because it doesn’t fit inside their bubble. And we’re all on the same fucking team ffs, assuming everyone wants to fight to save our democracy. And I never had any doubt that you are on the right side. Forget policy differences, it just doesn’t matter right now.
I didn’t agree with the post when I first read it and I don’t now, in part because congress wasn’t consulted and in part because this administration’s intelligence arm has demonstrated they can’t find their ass with both hands. However, I never saw you as a sell-out, just someone who doesn’t share my views on some issues. It’s good you make all of us think about our assumptions and beliefs.
I agree 100%. Adam gave me something a little different to consider. Then i saw Sen J Fetterman on Bill Maher. He too agreed with the strike on Iran. I listened to his discussion very closely. It is time to listen to all sides and agree to disagree sometimes but not throw "the dish water out" because of the disagreement!
Adam, no one who follows you could consider you MAGA. Iran has been a consistent threat. It will be a while before we know the real threat and the consequences of the strike.
The frustration of waking up everyday to our President is what makes people feel sensitive to anyone agreeing with any position he takes. I think like many I feel that almost 6 mos in and more damage inflicted than even his opponents could have predicted, everyone is on edge.
I so appreciate Adam’s balanced perspective. His earlier comments on Iran made me stop and think, and reminded me to honor opinions that don’t match my own. I’m grateful to Adam and read his posts regularly. My energy is sapped by the daily outrages pouring from the Trump administration in a torrent. I think we are all looking for affirmation, so it may be easier to take offense when someone offers a different point of view.
Listen generously. A phrase to live by. And I am fully open to other views, especially regarding foreign policy. Right now, I want to preserve an America dedicated to the rights of the individual and opposed to concentration camps and domestic military interventions.
As soon as you came out supporting the Iran mission- I knew it was going to be controversial. I ended up disagreeing with you but I listened very carefully to your opinion. I did not have the information you provided. I really appreciate your candor and military background . But I question the true motive behind the mission from this administration .
I thought from the beginning that one of agent orange's motivations was the Peace Prize. He had been especially vocal about it just prior to the strike. He actually believes he deserved it 4 or 5 times already, whining about how no matter what he does, the committee will never award him the prize, boo hoo. It's killing him that President Obama got the award. He redefines narcissism.
I am one that didn't necessarily agree with your decision based on conflicting information about Iran's capabilities and closeness to achieving their aims as well as seeing that there might still be time for diplomacy. I hope I never came off as vilifying, although I definitely questioned but I think that is what we should all be doing, so we're thinking through multiple sides of complex issues. I think issues like this are ones where we can have a healthy debate. We don't need to agree with each other, but we can respect each other. Your argument has a lot of merit and their aspects to my argument that have a lot of merit too. Unfortunately, we can't see into the future to know what the right path is always going to be, but we should be able to respectfully discuss options and reasons for our opinions.
Agree; we can’t automatically reject a good policy or idea just because it came from a person or party we have a disagreement with. It’s that all or nothing mentality that leads to extremism and divisive politics.
Living our values & ethics! Doing the hard work! Thank you for articulating that in such a compelling way, Adam! You have worked so very hard to live your democratic values! I thank you for that every day
I’m still here, as an anti-war progressive. I agree with the principle of your position and respect your knowledge based on your military service. What I don’t trust, is any decision this administration makes because everything is rooted in lies and propaganda. The two week post 3 day war chaos proved to me I had a reason to be skeptical. Keep up the great honest work you do Adam.
I have not commented on any thing on Substack before and left FB entirely.
With that said- I am a life long Democrat. My father was Air Force and my boyfriend in retired Air Force.
Most of my family is conservatives, not MAGA- thank God.
I am commenting because I agree 100% with what Adam just wrote. Iran is not a friend to the US. In my opinion- extremely dangerous. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It needed to be done.
To save our democracy we must keep the lines of communication open and recognize we may not always agree- and that is ok.
I totally agree. Critical thinking requires acceptance of nuance. As someone who works in a scientific field, it is frustrating to listen to people who believe everything is either/or. It is not. It is discovery, ability to take in and synthesize new information, critically think about the information that’s provided, and make best decisions as a result.
Your balanced perspective is very reassuring to me. I don’t agree with everything and that is healthy. Thank you for the work you are doing. You are helping.
And thank YOU
What she said..(so well)!!🤔🇺🇸👏👏
WE ALL CAN USE A LITTLE HUMOR!!!
'Swamp King': New billboard on Grand Avenue in Phoenix mocks Trump. https://www.msn.com/en-us/politics/government/swamp-king-new-billboard-on-grand-avenue-in-phoenix-mocks-trump/ar-AA1I9scb?ocid=BingNewsVerp
NOW BACK TO FIGHTING THIS TYRANT!!!
Not the topic here. Here, for once, we are criticizing ourselves, and rightly so :-).
In the end everything is about Trump. Thanks for criticizing me, I'm not in that group of yours. I stand with Adam without criticizing anybody else! Vietnam Vet (1969-1975) Phoenix,AZ 🫡
Oh look, people like it. 👍You act like I'm selling something.
This article explicitly criticizes the LEFT for calling Adam a "MAGA" and "traitor" only because he supported the Iran strike.
So no, the topic, for once, is not about Trump.
It's about supporting real, on topic debates among people who disagree - and, frankly, it's also about supporting Adam for having the guts to do so when speaking out against Trump and the neofascist GOP as a Republican was and is literally life-threatening.
The last thing we need, right now, is that the left starts turning against people like him. So yes, this is the moment to make clear that we cannot tolerate this kind of "going low" and that we'll only save democracy IF we continue to value real debates.
Aside from that... thanks for your service.
PS: I noticed you just edited your original post.
So here's my follow-up, aside from what I already wrote below.
The ONLY way to fight tyrants is to fight in a DEMOCRATIC way. That is what Adam's post is all about.
We cannot possibly skip the stage where we pause for a moment and ask ourselves what that means, as he asks us to do here. Because today more than ever before, it seems, at moments, as if society as a whole has forgotten what fighting in a democratic way means.
So the question asked here is: why are real debates so important? How to have them? Why separate (for now) fighting for democracy from fighting for specific policy issues? Why are purity tests anti-democratic?
We need to have clarity about this, on a collective level, BEFORE we will be able to defeat fascism.
Just mocking their clown in chief is not enough. Humor is a great weapon but not enough.
And posting stuff only to get "likes" is not enough either... "likes" and "the truth" aren't necessarily the same thing ;-).
Thanks for posting -- I like political humor (with truth tossed in -- LOL).
RINO -- Ed
Hey so, I happen to agree with you on Iran. Some in this world are so far gone in their genocidal dysfunction that they need to be permanently taken out.
I posted a comment twice but neither appeared, so just checking if this posts. Anyone else have this experience?
Adding my agreement. Freedom and democracy are supposed to guarantee and protect independent thought and speech. Social media seems to promote "group think" maybe because it's our nature to squelch personal opinions for joining a group, but we need to remember the importance of independent thinking. As a "boomer" I had parents who were horrified by Hitler's concentration camps, uncovered in WWII. They stressed to my brother and me the importance of speaking up about evil. (Led to family conflicts in 1960s, but we reconciled later.) We need to respect the free exchange of ideas, and I think it's a strength when we disagree. We "The People" are always a work in progress.
Absolutely agree. I'm a former lifelong Republican but I'm committed to democracy. That must be the most important focus. Keeping democracy will require much more than lifelong democrats. We are forming a different coalition and we cannot break apart over policies. If we lose democracy, policies won't be optional. Our opinions won't matter.
So true. Disagreement on policy is a luxury, if we heal our democracy
Exactly. And yet, it feels as if a majority still doesn't get this. They clearly didn't get it last summer. I was horrified (as a progressive) when I saw Jon Stewart MOCKING Democrats for campaigning together with Liz Cheney. Even after the inauguration and the destruction of democratic institutions began, Stewart still didn't understand that fascism was being installed.
We have a lot of work to do. Thank you for standing in the mud with us - including when doing it so visibly and effectively comes with a huge cost to pay (in terms of your own safety and your family's well-being).
Yes, I strongly disagreed with you on the Iran strike. But I strongly appreciate the fact THAT you explained your opinion (and are willing to change whenever you feel you encounter a great counterargument).
If there is anyone who is NOT MAGA, it's you!
Stewart understood it very well. He's been warning about trump and the regime since trump 1.0. He's a comedian. Of course he will joke about democrats campaigning with a republican who was once a staunch trump supporter during first trump term and very conservative. It was surprising and ironic when they joined up with her but it also showed how people were uniting against the very tyranny we see slowly dismantling our government today. During the campaign democrats did send out alarms about oligarchy/autocracy etc and were mocked by people for being alarmists. Maybe if more listened then we wouldn't be in this mess today.
In real life, Stewart was mocking the idea of "fascism" long AFTER Trump was inaugurated, unfortunately.
He still believed that the problem was Trump, and didn't understand that the GOP itself had become neofascist.
And his way of denouncing the fact that Democrats campaigned with Liz Cheney and even got the support of Dick Cheney was highly cynical. He clearly believed that it was a bad idea. That helped undermining the message that campaigning together was designed to send out.
He also put Biden's health centerstage, like most liberal comedians, even though mainstream media did the exact same thing already and no one was informing people of his pretty stellar achievements.
And yes, indeed, Harris and so many other Democrats warned us, during the campaign. But when in September Harris finally used the word "fascist", Stewart again laughed it away. Not helpful...
The bombing of of fordow may be correct, but Donald trump is the wrong person to do it, just like george bush was the wrong person to remove saddam hussein from power. George bush was wrong about weapons of mass destruction. President Trump stated that he gave Iran permission to bomb a U.S. base in Qatar, claiming they provided advance notice before the attack. It is not enough to do the RIGHT thing, it must be the RIGHT people doing it.
Your commentary makes good sense, but unfortunately, Trump is the only one we have now. It ain't good, you are so right, and Bush was not the right guy either, but not sure how that can be fixed in this moment in time.
We may not be able to prevent a mistake, but we should at least learn from the mistake!!
“He [Dr. John Trump] was a professor of engineering at the elite Massachusetts Institute of Technology for 44 years.
According to MIT, Prof Trump focused on high voltage phenomena, electron acceleration and the interaction of radiation with living and non-living matter. He also designed X-ray generators for cancer therapy.”
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-44457471.amp
So, according to agent orange, he inherited ‘smart’ genes from his brilliant uncle which explains why he’s a stable genius🤨 I think those genes were turned off in agent orange’s DNA🤓 He is at the opposite end of the spectrum from genius.
Adam, you have absolutely nailed it with this piece. It’s everything that is wrong today, people just leveling accusations because it doesn’t fit inside their bubble. And we’re all on the same fucking team ffs, assuming everyone wants to fight to save our democracy. And I never had any doubt that you are on the right side. Forget policy differences, it just doesn’t matter right now.
So agreed!
I didn’t agree with the post when I first read it and I don’t now, in part because congress wasn’t consulted and in part because this administration’s intelligence arm has demonstrated they can’t find their ass with both hands. However, I never saw you as a sell-out, just someone who doesn’t share my views on some issues. It’s good you make all of us think about our assumptions and beliefs.
I agree 100%. Adam gave me something a little different to consider. Then i saw Sen J Fetterman on Bill Maher. He too agreed with the strike on Iran. I listened to his discussion very closely. It is time to listen to all sides and agree to disagree sometimes but not throw "the dish water out" because of the disagreement!
Like your thoughts - may not agree - but do agree with your principles. Thank you for doing this - we shall not give up!
Adam, no one who follows you could consider you MAGA. Iran has been a consistent threat. It will be a while before we know the real threat and the consequences of the strike.
The frustration of waking up everyday to our President is what makes people feel sensitive to anyone agreeing with any position he takes. I think like many I feel that almost 6 mos in and more damage inflicted than even his opponents could have predicted, everyone is on edge.
I so appreciate Adam’s balanced perspective. His earlier comments on Iran made me stop and think, and reminded me to honor opinions that don’t match my own. I’m grateful to Adam and read his posts regularly. My energy is sapped by the daily outrages pouring from the Trump administration in a torrent. I think we are all looking for affirmation, so it may be easier to take offense when someone offers a different point of view.
For any American of reason, this is the most difficult time in recent memory.
Listen generously. A phrase to live by. And I am fully open to other views, especially regarding foreign policy. Right now, I want to preserve an America dedicated to the rights of the individual and opposed to concentration camps and domestic military interventions.
As soon as you came out supporting the Iran mission- I knew it was going to be controversial. I ended up disagreeing with you but I listened very carefully to your opinion. I did not have the information you provided. I really appreciate your candor and military background . But I question the true motive behind the mission from this administration .
the true motive is accolades and praise and a nomination for Nobel Peace Prize
I thought from the beginning that one of agent orange's motivations was the Peace Prize. He had been especially vocal about it just prior to the strike. He actually believes he deserved it 4 or 5 times already, whining about how no matter what he does, the committee will never award him the prize, boo hoo. It's killing him that President Obama got the award. He redefines narcissism.
I am one that didn't necessarily agree with your decision based on conflicting information about Iran's capabilities and closeness to achieving their aims as well as seeing that there might still be time for diplomacy. I hope I never came off as vilifying, although I definitely questioned but I think that is what we should all be doing, so we're thinking through multiple sides of complex issues. I think issues like this are ones where we can have a healthy debate. We don't need to agree with each other, but we can respect each other. Your argument has a lot of merit and their aspects to my argument that have a lot of merit too. Unfortunately, we can't see into the future to know what the right path is always going to be, but we should be able to respectfully discuss options and reasons for our opinions.
Agree; we can’t automatically reject a good policy or idea just because it came from a person or party we have a disagreement with. It’s that all or nothing mentality that leads to extremism and divisive politics.
Well said. Diversity of opinion is a democratic principle and is not a sign of capitulation to authoritarianism. Thank you for a broader view.
Living our values & ethics! Doing the hard work! Thank you for articulating that in such a compelling way, Adam! You have worked so very hard to live your democratic values! I thank you for that every day
I’m still here, as an anti-war progressive. I agree with the principle of your position and respect your knowledge based on your military service. What I don’t trust, is any decision this administration makes because everything is rooted in lies and propaganda. The two week post 3 day war chaos proved to me I had a reason to be skeptical. Keep up the great honest work you do Adam.
I agree. It's difficult to know what's right when you're buried in BS. When the head of DNI changes her story. Nothing new, unfortunately.
I have not commented on any thing on Substack before and left FB entirely.
With that said- I am a life long Democrat. My father was Air Force and my boyfriend in retired Air Force.
Most of my family is conservatives, not MAGA- thank God.
I am commenting because I agree 100% with what Adam just wrote. Iran is not a friend to the US. In my opinion- extremely dangerous. They cannot have a nuclear weapon. It needed to be done.
To save our democracy we must keep the lines of communication open and recognize we may not always agree- and that is ok.
I totally agree. Critical thinking requires acceptance of nuance. As someone who works in a scientific field, it is frustrating to listen to people who believe everything is either/or. It is not. It is discovery, ability to take in and synthesize new information, critically think about the information that’s provided, and make best decisions as a result.
Thank you for stating this concept - we need to remember this or we are just like the maga -