Amid fireworks and fear, America grapples with authoritarian drift; but our history reminds us: we've faced worse, fought back harder, and come out stronger.
Thank you for this message this morning. Iām sipping my coffee with a heavy heart and wondering how to greet this day. You brought out very thoughtful and meaningful words that made me feel a bit better.
I hope you have a wonderful day Michael ā¤ļøš¤š
We have been through tough times as a nation, but we have never been in a situation in which the President, the Congress, and the Courts are acting in concert against the American peopleā¦lined up to rubber-stamp authoritarianism against the wishes and even the well-being of the vast majority of us. The guardrails that have guided us successfully in the past are gone. Hang your flags upside down today, because weāre in deep trouble,
Hanging the flag upside down is a distress signalā¦.and a signal of dissent. It does not mean that youāre not āfightingā. Mine is upside down todayā¦.because I feel endangered and because I dissent,
Iāve been flying the American and Ukrainian flag šŗš¦ ever since Russia invaded Ukraine. I could also add a Canadian and Mexican flag to support themš
Michael, you are inspiring even in these dark times! Your words remind us of what Donald Trump cannot kill or destroy: the American spirit! From Canada, I am wishing you a happy, hopeful 4th of July!šŗšø-šØš¦
She took my breath away this morning. This is the courage to protect the constitution the r's in congress do not have. May she stay safe... "Sotomayor says Trump has the Supreme Court on "speed dial" whenever he wants a pass on his "lawlessness." "
I'm in Texas Michael , have lived ,thur racism in years passed the 1960s in elementary school The Anglo teacher Hit us if we dare speak Spanish, my class mates would laugh at me for being Tacos my Mom packed in my lunch we didn't have money for school lunch , We sat in the back of the classroom because according to the teachers that where we belonged then the Civil Rights marches began in the late 60s into the 70s My brother got drafted to Vietnam because he was a minority my mom cried when he went for his physical, lucky for my brother he had broken his arm twice and he was rejected, but we saw many of our family and friends neighbors leave to fight in a war we didn't understand, many sadly didn't return, in 1 school district alone over 90 Men last their life. now its the 70s Women's right movement equal pay ect.. but still as a Mexican American and Apache Lipan , we where still faced discrimination In Tx there where small towns we dare not vist, because we where Mexican we were not allowed, My point in sharing this, I'm not afraid of the challenge we are facing I lived as a young child it made me stronger the person I am today I agree with you šÆ The American people must stand up, together united there's 75milllon people didn't vote for this regime, and on no kings Day protest šŖ§it showed we can come together for the Good of this country..Lets do THIS AMERICA šŗšø šŖš¼ WE WILL PREVAIL
Your story brought tears to my eyes. Remembering our lives and what we have lived through, it does make use stronger you are right we will prevail. Thank you for sharing your story.
Thank you Michael for your words of truth, of pain, of hope!! š
I am so numb today & can barely stand to be around the magas who are my neighbors, my friends, my family. I want to rip away their fucking trump vance signs they hold onto like weapons. I want to walk away & move to another planet - one where we can live without fear, without racism, without cruelty. I want to have hope again. I cling to Bernie, AOC & Crockets words of fire, see so much potential in Mamdani & pray that Governors Pritzker, Walz, Newsom, et al, will find a way forward for us. I want the pain of innocent immigrants to stop. And yet, I know our history is one of Native American genocide, slavery of blacks, cruelty to Japanese... it just doesn't stop. We are rabid animals who at times are able to find the angels of our better selves. I am waiting for our Phoenix to rise from the ashes and destroy the evil that lurks amongst us. I'm not religious, but GOD SAVE USš¢
Read "The Forever War" by Nick Bryant. The truth is that America was created on a sin, slavery, and a lie, freedom for all and equality. Rich, white men wanted to protect their assets, and they used the lie of "all men are created equal" to get everyone else to play along. And someday, you, too will have a good life. As long as America refuses to acknowledge its' past, we will just continue on the slide to becoming a third rate country. What happened yesterday and what it symbolizes, is proof of that.
Superb article, Michael. You spell it all out ā every single atrocity we are galvanizing the resistance for. As an aside, thank you for including the Japanese internment in your mention of atrocities aimed at Americans. My father and many other men of Japanese descent fought in WWII for a country that hated them. Yet, they wore āAmericanā proudly and fought victoriously for our country. Thank you for your truths.
Uhmerica has, with the passage of the BBB, and what it symbolizes, crossed over into a downward spiral from which it isn't going to recover (if it ever does) for decades. I don't have that much time, nor am I interested in trying to fix it any longer. For all my efforts, the Dream of America has never really panned out. As a woman, freedom was something we aspired to but never fully gained. If this country couldn't do better after almost 250 years of trying, it isn't going to get it right in less than 5 more. If I could, I would move to Canada and just forget this experiment in democracy that Americans don't seem to want. Governing is not taken seriously. It's a game show.
When you have a chance, see a movie called "The Running Man" from the previous century starring the late Richard Dawson and the amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story matter will blow you away. What we have today has been coming for a long time, aided by complacency and the Christian Coalition. Like Mr. C. says, we must do better to form a more perfect union.
(@) = Never the dark side and may the force be with you.
So more "detention centers" are planned, eh? Well, our fine Fla guv will need to name them. How about Dachau, Treblinka, Buchenwald and Belzac for starters?
LOL, but sadly not funny. I got one nearby and most folks in Miami, Florida are scared shitless and afraid of leaving their homes. Especially if you're not white enough.
This is the saddest Independence Day I can remember. Patriots fought against a king in 1776 and 249 years later we have another king dictating to us. Right know all the rules/laws are in his favor and we canāt do a thing about it. We have secret police rolling up people like itās 1930ās Germany. That didnāt work out very well. We can protest/march/make up signs but the fact is that he holds all the cards - the presidency, congress and the supreme court(no caps on purpose). The only thing we can do is insure our electoral system holds and we vote the bastards out in 2026. Get the Congress back and start rolling back all this crap. Not going to be easy but someone once said āhard work doesnāt guarantee success but without it you donāt stand a chanceā. Nowās the time to do the hard work
Salutations from French Canada, where we are still learning to overcome our differences and the welcome mat is always tendered for people of good Will.
As I sit sipping my coffee with tears in my eyes I pray you are correct Michael. At this moment we need hope and you are attempting to provide it and I thank you. You are someone who I admire as you have made mistakes paid for them and are trying to help.
No one needs to see Trump talking about how he plans to solve the problem of illegals that have worked on the same farm for a long time. Trump will change his mind tomorrow.
"The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutes individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, among other serious offenses. Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute, are acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. These acts include murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, and persecution, when committed with the knowledge of the attack." Wisdom from Gemini. Wonder who this could apply to here?
Thank you for this message this morning. Iām sipping my coffee with a heavy heart and wondering how to greet this day. You brought out very thoughtful and meaningful words that made me feel a bit better.
I hope you have a wonderful day Michael ā¤ļøš¤š
We have been through tough times as a nation, but we have never been in a situation in which the President, the Congress, and the Courts are acting in concert against the American peopleā¦lined up to rubber-stamp authoritarianism against the wishes and even the well-being of the vast majority of us. The guardrails that have guided us successfully in the past are gone. Hang your flags upside down today, because weāre in deep trouble,
I will not hang my flag upside down. I will fight to my last breath.
Hanging the flag upside down is a distress signalā¦.and a signal of dissent. It does not mean that youāre not āfightingā. Mine is upside down todayā¦.because I feel endangered and because I dissent,
We've been flying the Canadian and Mexican flags for months now. Because they're much better nations than we are at the moment.
Iāve been flying the American and Ukrainian flag šŗš¦ ever since Russia invaded Ukraine. I could also add a Canadian and Mexican flag to support themš
If I associate it with Maga, so will everyone else.
iām not using an upside down flag as my sign of protest.
Yes šš» I know. This is very discouraging and makes me feel like itās a plotā¼ļø
Michael, you are inspiring even in these dark times! Your words remind us of what Donald Trump cannot kill or destroy: the American spirit! From Canada, I am wishing you a happy, hopeful 4th of July!šŗšø-šØš¦
Thanks for your support! We need it! ā¤ļø
She took my breath away this morning. This is the courage to protect the constitution the r's in congress do not have. May she stay safe... "Sotomayor says Trump has the Supreme Court on "speed dial" whenever he wants a pass on his "lawlessness." "
I'm in Texas Michael , have lived ,thur racism in years passed the 1960s in elementary school The Anglo teacher Hit us if we dare speak Spanish, my class mates would laugh at me for being Tacos my Mom packed in my lunch we didn't have money for school lunch , We sat in the back of the classroom because according to the teachers that where we belonged then the Civil Rights marches began in the late 60s into the 70s My brother got drafted to Vietnam because he was a minority my mom cried when he went for his physical, lucky for my brother he had broken his arm twice and he was rejected, but we saw many of our family and friends neighbors leave to fight in a war we didn't understand, many sadly didn't return, in 1 school district alone over 90 Men last their life. now its the 70s Women's right movement equal pay ect.. but still as a Mexican American and Apache Lipan , we where still faced discrimination In Tx there where small towns we dare not vist, because we where Mexican we were not allowed, My point in sharing this, I'm not afraid of the challenge we are facing I lived as a young child it made me stronger the person I am today I agree with you šÆ The American people must stand up, together united there's 75milllon people didn't vote for this regime, and on no kings Day protest šŖ§it showed we can come together for the Good of this country..Lets do THIS AMERICA šŗšø šŖš¼ WE WILL PREVAIL
Your story brought tears to my eyes. Remembering our lives and what we have lived through, it does make use stronger you are right we will prevail. Thank you for sharing your story.
(@) = Never the dark and may the force be with you.
Thank you Michael for your words of truth, of pain, of hope!! š
I am so numb today & can barely stand to be around the magas who are my neighbors, my friends, my family. I want to rip away their fucking trump vance signs they hold onto like weapons. I want to walk away & move to another planet - one where we can live without fear, without racism, without cruelty. I want to have hope again. I cling to Bernie, AOC & Crockets words of fire, see so much potential in Mamdani & pray that Governors Pritzker, Walz, Newsom, et al, will find a way forward for us. I want the pain of innocent immigrants to stop. And yet, I know our history is one of Native American genocide, slavery of blacks, cruelty to Japanese... it just doesn't stop. We are rabid animals who at times are able to find the angels of our better selves. I am waiting for our Phoenix to rise from the ashes and destroy the evil that lurks amongst us. I'm not religious, but GOD SAVE USš¢
Read "The Forever War" by Nick Bryant. The truth is that America was created on a sin, slavery, and a lie, freedom for all and equality. Rich, white men wanted to protect their assets, and they used the lie of "all men are created equal" to get everyone else to play along. And someday, you, too will have a good life. As long as America refuses to acknowledge its' past, we will just continue on the slide to becoming a third rate country. What happened yesterday and what it symbolizes, is proof of that.
Thanks for the tip! (@)
Superb article, Michael. You spell it all out ā every single atrocity we are galvanizing the resistance for. As an aside, thank you for including the Japanese internment in your mention of atrocities aimed at Americans. My father and many other men of Japanese descent fought in WWII for a country that hated them. Yet, they wore āAmericanā proudly and fought victoriously for our country. Thank you for your truths.
Uhmerica has, with the passage of the BBB, and what it symbolizes, crossed over into a downward spiral from which it isn't going to recover (if it ever does) for decades. I don't have that much time, nor am I interested in trying to fix it any longer. For all my efforts, the Dream of America has never really panned out. As a woman, freedom was something we aspired to but never fully gained. If this country couldn't do better after almost 250 years of trying, it isn't going to get it right in less than 5 more. If I could, I would move to Canada and just forget this experiment in democracy that Americans don't seem to want. Governing is not taken seriously. It's a game show.
When you have a chance, see a movie called "The Running Man" from the previous century starring the late Richard Dawson and the amazing Arnold Schwarzenegger. The story matter will blow you away. What we have today has been coming for a long time, aided by complacency and the Christian Coalition. Like Mr. C. says, we must do better to form a more perfect union.
(@) = Never the dark side and may the force be with you.
So more "detention centers" are planned, eh? Well, our fine Fla guv will need to name them. How about Dachau, Treblinka, Buchenwald and Belzac for starters?
LOL, but sadly not funny. I got one nearby and most folks in Miami, Florida are scared shitless and afraid of leaving their homes. Especially if you're not white enough.
Lawmakers were stopped from entering Alligator Alcatraz. That may violate Florida law https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/07/04/lawmakers-were-stopped-from-entering-alligator-alcatraz-that-may-violate-florida-law/
This is the saddest Independence Day I can remember. Patriots fought against a king in 1776 and 249 years later we have another king dictating to us. Right know all the rules/laws are in his favor and we canāt do a thing about it. We have secret police rolling up people like itās 1930ās Germany. That didnāt work out very well. We can protest/march/make up signs but the fact is that he holds all the cards - the presidency, congress and the supreme court(no caps on purpose). The only thing we can do is insure our electoral system holds and we vote the bastards out in 2026. Get the Congress back and start rolling back all this crap. Not going to be easy but someone once said āhard work doesnāt guarantee success but without it you donāt stand a chanceā. Nowās the time to do the hard work
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Salutations from French Canada, where we are still learning to overcome our differences and the welcome mat is always tendered for people of good Will.
I can only wish you the best in this, your remembrance of IndƩpendance. There is a time to negotiate, but never forget that sometimes to cure a cancer you need the lasers, else the cancer eats you...
Excellent post with the cold, hard truth, and hope peppered in it, @Michael Cohen. Thank you.
As I sit sipping my coffee with tears in my eyes I pray you are correct Michael. At this moment we need hope and you are attempting to provide it and I thank you. You are someone who I admire as you have made mistakes paid for them and are trying to help.
Y'all need to see this.
https://substack.com/@raidadave/note/c-131699189?r=58kqym
No one needs to see Trump talking about how he plans to solve the problem of illegals that have worked on the same farm for a long time. Trump will change his mind tomorrow.
"The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutes individuals for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity, among other serious offenses. Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute, are acts committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack directed against a civilian population. These acts include murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation, imprisonment, torture, rape, sexual slavery, and persecution, when committed with the knowledge of the attack." Wisdom from Gemini. Wonder who this could apply to here?