Freedom is elemental to creativity. There is a reason the world’s greatest actors, writers, filmmakers and artists flourish in open societies where liberty is prized. There is a reason why dictators and totalitarians have always attacked, stigmatized and targeted artists. If the free thinkers and dreamers in a society can be stifled then hope can be crushed — at least for a while. The genius of humanity is unlocked and illustrated by the genius of its writers and artists. The 20th century created a new canvas for the arts with the development of the film industry.
“Let us tenderly and kindly cherish therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write .” - John Adams. Thanks Steve, and all here, for cherishing truth and knowledge. ✌️💕🍾
Happy New Year to you and yours, Steve! In addition, to the John Adams miniseries, a favorite book of mine called Plain, Honest Men by Richard Beeman helped me better understand the true significance of this “experimental” government we are creating and continue to create. I’ve read that book twice and listened to the audio version once. Each time I read it, I pick up new tidbits I missed during previous passes through it. But because I’ve also watched the miniseries, now, whenever I hear or read anything about John Adams now, my internal voice always hears it as Paul Giametti’s voice. I need to re-watch John Adams. It really is very good.
My love of old movies has diminished my enthusiasm for newer movies or TV series but I found the John Adams biopic was well made and the acting excellent. I thought the dialog kept you interested in the plot and told an enthralling story. As this year comes to its conclusion and the dawn of the new year is on the horizon, I find myself thankful for living in a country where we have the right to disagree with our government as long as it is done peaceably and orderly. I have learned in recent months there has been unexplained, mysterious deaths arising from dissenters of Putin falling out windows. I can only imagine if Trump was successful on January 6th how many political opponents of his would suffer the same fate. My gratitude for living in a democracy has no limits because all things are possible when you are free to think and live life to its fullest without fear of falling out of windows.
One of my favorite HBO series - Giametti gives us incredible insight into the genius of Adams! Oh, how I long for the days of the rule of law and how no one is above them.
I have given up on many in Congress who are driven by power and greed. I pray for my grandchildren that our nation can recover from Trump!
2023 must be a year of accountability for the enemies of American Democracy. Trump must be indicted and convicted. The other leaders of the January 6 insurrection, both prominent and under the radar, must be held criminally liable and imprisoned. The foot soldiers who used American flags as spears and smashed their way into the capital to threaten the peaceful transition of power must be held accountable and get criminal records. Every. Single. One of them. They must be shamed by their family, neighbors, co-workers. The stain of infamy must attach to them such that their children and grandchildren will feel it necessary to renounce them the way the descendants of the Nazis did. Because the insurrectionists are cut from the same cloth as the Nazis and Confederates.
2023 must be a year where every decent and moral citizen turns their back on their unrepentant MAGA neighbors, friends, and family, until they do repent and say Never Again Trump. But not only never again Trump. It must also be never Desantis, never MAGA, or any form of authoritarian, anti-democratic tyranny. It must become so odious, so embarrassing, so shaming, so personally costly that the MAGA core is burned down to its very essence, and then we stomp on and bury the ashes of what history may judge to be one of the greatest threats, if not THE greatest threat, to our Republic, ever, period.
There was a time in 2022 and in the years since Trump descended that escalator, when I, and I'm sure many of you, could seriously imagine a scenario where the United States of America became a Fascist government with concentration camps and barbed wire, where Jews and other immigrants were banished or much worse, where a Tyrant and his children ruled over us with sham elections for 20 years or more. Make no mistake, if Trump and Ivanka and Jared and Don Jr. and their supporters had their way, that would have happened.
So let 2023 be a year of reckoning for these Traitors, where they never have a minute's peace from fear of arrest and the loss of everything they have worked to accomplish through treasonous, lying and despicable means. We can hope for a better 2023. But I'm mainly hoping for MAGA heads to roll.
Happy New Year Steve and all who read and write in this collaboration - we all, i am sure, look forward to more essays from you about all kinds of things, hopefully some more positive than negative - let us hope 2023 brings us joy and peace and a great new sunrise.
A beautiful remembrance for a new day coming. A tribute to art. Thank you, Steve. If I were to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, my choice of favorite one hundred encounters with historical figures were all artists in all the areas where Art has been central to the human. I find the quotation you have chosen visionary. A wish for all that a better New Year must rise from our hearts and irradiate unto others.
Steve, your words have added context to a chord resonating within me since I attended Thursday night's peformance by John Oliver in my hometown.
A British comedian, who chose to become an American citizen, posited that America is a defiant Nation. His punchline, "I can prove it, most you sitting here are now thinking no we're not."
Considering American history, our heritage trails, monuments, achievements and failures - damn if he didn't identify the single trait American's abundantly share.
American history taught me that Americans never stop, never give way and never give up on our quest for equality, equity and justice.
Our founding documents are indeed a declaration of defiance. It is what pro-authoritarian leaders will not tolerate.
Perhaps defiance is the heart of what it means to be American. After all, it worked. We defied the odds when our Founders defied their King.
Perhaps voicing our defiance through dissent is the magic ingredient necessary for freedom to endure difficult and turbulent times.
Perhaps our current struggle to meet one another where we are is our failure to recognize defiance is necessary for freedom to thrive.
Perhaps defiance truly is an American virtue.
Perhaps our 2023 intention should be to defy all that which denies freedom at home and abroad.
Yes, I agree 100% that Paul Giamatti hit the apex of his craft with that portrayal of John Adams.
Artists and Intellectuals are natural allies. Tyrants always kill them first. Cambodia's killing fields was littered with their best and brightest; just one example.
I believe that one reason John Adams was such a great man, is because Abigail was behind him. She's an underrated Founding Mother, imho.
I hope the series from 2022 called First Ladies, will be renewed. And I hope Michelle Pfeiffer receives many accolades and awards for her portrayal of Betty Ford.
And to Steve, and every reader here:
May 2023 bring you wild joy, broad vindication, deep love, robust health, and enough prosperity to share with others. ❤️
To say, we stand on the shoulders of Giants is an understatement.
For us to "long endure", will require commitment to civics in school which
teaches about those Giants, why we were here and why we left the Monarchy.
Give a camera to Jay Leno and put him on any street in America and we see
many people who can not name our vice president, much less our founding fathers or even less, their vision.
Our future depends upon commitment to education, and as you rightly point out Steve, we specifically need those creatives
who write books and produce movies, to continually inform the public about who we are and why we are here.
In my opinion, the bent toward Authoritarianism is in our DNA, it’s probably a natural selection thing.
It is the default in humans to choose brute strength for leadership over thoughtful measured intelligence.
But our higher evolved brain can see beyond this, there is a reason the stronger primates are not leading
the world today and that has nothing to do with strength.
Our prefrontal cortex evolved to be the best part of us as a species and gave us the advantage
over brute strength and made us dominant.
Without teaching our kids the story of our making as a country they are doomed to relive the struggle.
Thank you for your contribution Steve to our never ending need for remembering and retelling our past. And that creativity is elemental to our Freedom.
Thank you Steve and all the others as we turn the calendar, let’s also return to work to preserve our democracy and our world. Much to be done, and we all have a part n this great effort. A year from now let us find our democracy stronger, our justice measured by its equal application and those who would pull us towards a totalitarian state stopped.
I cannot wonder, what our current citizenry and the elected representatives would put forward as it’s vision of the next 250 years. Do we have the integrity and will to continue the progress Mr Adams imagined?
When venture capitalists invest huge sums of money they expect an appropriate return. We have invested huge sums in the American dream. Are we getting the needed return?
“Let us tenderly and kindly cherish therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write .” - John Adams. Thanks Steve, and all here, for cherishing truth and knowledge. ✌️💕🍾
Happy New Year to you and yours, Steve! In addition, to the John Adams miniseries, a favorite book of mine called Plain, Honest Men by Richard Beeman helped me better understand the true significance of this “experimental” government we are creating and continue to create. I’ve read that book twice and listened to the audio version once. Each time I read it, I pick up new tidbits I missed during previous passes through it. But because I’ve also watched the miniseries, now, whenever I hear or read anything about John Adams now, my internal voice always hears it as Paul Giametti’s voice. I need to re-watch John Adams. It really is very good.
My love of old movies has diminished my enthusiasm for newer movies or TV series but I found the John Adams biopic was well made and the acting excellent. I thought the dialog kept you interested in the plot and told an enthralling story. As this year comes to its conclusion and the dawn of the new year is on the horizon, I find myself thankful for living in a country where we have the right to disagree with our government as long as it is done peaceably and orderly. I have learned in recent months there has been unexplained, mysterious deaths arising from dissenters of Putin falling out windows. I can only imagine if Trump was successful on January 6th how many political opponents of his would suffer the same fate. My gratitude for living in a democracy has no limits because all things are possible when you are free to think and live life to its fullest without fear of falling out of windows.
One of my favorite HBO series - Giametti gives us incredible insight into the genius of Adams! Oh, how I long for the days of the rule of law and how no one is above them.
I have given up on many in Congress who are driven by power and greed. I pray for my grandchildren that our nation can recover from Trump!
2023 must be a year of accountability for the enemies of American Democracy. Trump must be indicted and convicted. The other leaders of the January 6 insurrection, both prominent and under the radar, must be held criminally liable and imprisoned. The foot soldiers who used American flags as spears and smashed their way into the capital to threaten the peaceful transition of power must be held accountable and get criminal records. Every. Single. One of them. They must be shamed by their family, neighbors, co-workers. The stain of infamy must attach to them such that their children and grandchildren will feel it necessary to renounce them the way the descendants of the Nazis did. Because the insurrectionists are cut from the same cloth as the Nazis and Confederates.
2023 must be a year where every decent and moral citizen turns their back on their unrepentant MAGA neighbors, friends, and family, until they do repent and say Never Again Trump. But not only never again Trump. It must also be never Desantis, never MAGA, or any form of authoritarian, anti-democratic tyranny. It must become so odious, so embarrassing, so shaming, so personally costly that the MAGA core is burned down to its very essence, and then we stomp on and bury the ashes of what history may judge to be one of the greatest threats, if not THE greatest threat, to our Republic, ever, period.
There was a time in 2022 and in the years since Trump descended that escalator, when I, and I'm sure many of you, could seriously imagine a scenario where the United States of America became a Fascist government with concentration camps and barbed wire, where Jews and other immigrants were banished or much worse, where a Tyrant and his children ruled over us with sham elections for 20 years or more. Make no mistake, if Trump and Ivanka and Jared and Don Jr. and their supporters had their way, that would have happened.
So let 2023 be a year of reckoning for these Traitors, where they never have a minute's peace from fear of arrest and the loss of everything they have worked to accomplish through treasonous, lying and despicable means. We can hope for a better 2023. But I'm mainly hoping for MAGA heads to roll.
Happy New Year Steve and all who read and write in this collaboration - we all, i am sure, look forward to more essays from you about all kinds of things, hopefully some more positive than negative - let us hope 2023 brings us joy and peace and a great new sunrise.
A beautiful remembrance for a new day coming. A tribute to art. Thank you, Steve. If I were to tell you the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, my choice of favorite one hundred encounters with historical figures were all artists in all the areas where Art has been central to the human. I find the quotation you have chosen visionary. A wish for all that a better New Year must rise from our hearts and irradiate unto others.
Happy New Year, Steve. We need this logic as much as ever. Thanks.
Steve, your words have added context to a chord resonating within me since I attended Thursday night's peformance by John Oliver in my hometown.
A British comedian, who chose to become an American citizen, posited that America is a defiant Nation. His punchline, "I can prove it, most you sitting here are now thinking no we're not."
Considering American history, our heritage trails, monuments, achievements and failures - damn if he didn't identify the single trait American's abundantly share.
American history taught me that Americans never stop, never give way and never give up on our quest for equality, equity and justice.
Our founding documents are indeed a declaration of defiance. It is what pro-authoritarian leaders will not tolerate.
Perhaps defiance is the heart of what it means to be American. After all, it worked. We defied the odds when our Founders defied their King.
Perhaps voicing our defiance through dissent is the magic ingredient necessary for freedom to endure difficult and turbulent times.
Perhaps our current struggle to meet one another where we are is our failure to recognize defiance is necessary for freedom to thrive.
Perhaps defiance truly is an American virtue.
Perhaps our 2023 intention should be to defy all that which denies freedom at home and abroad.
And Happy New Year’s to all - may we be blessed with seeing Trump and his minions in prison!
Beautiful. Thank you. I know 2023 will be better because you’ll be in my ear to make sense of the tumult ahead.
Yes, I agree 100% that Paul Giamatti hit the apex of his craft with that portrayal of John Adams.
Artists and Intellectuals are natural allies. Tyrants always kill them first. Cambodia's killing fields was littered with their best and brightest; just one example.
I believe that one reason John Adams was such a great man, is because Abigail was behind him. She's an underrated Founding Mother, imho.
I hope the series from 2022 called First Ladies, will be renewed. And I hope Michelle Pfeiffer receives many accolades and awards for her portrayal of Betty Ford.
And to Steve, and every reader here:
May 2023 bring you wild joy, broad vindication, deep love, robust health, and enough prosperity to share with others. ❤️
To say, we stand on the shoulders of Giants is an understatement.
For us to "long endure", will require commitment to civics in school which
teaches about those Giants, why we were here and why we left the Monarchy.
Give a camera to Jay Leno and put him on any street in America and we see
many people who can not name our vice president, much less our founding fathers or even less, their vision.
Our future depends upon commitment to education, and as you rightly point out Steve, we specifically need those creatives
who write books and produce movies, to continually inform the public about who we are and why we are here.
In my opinion, the bent toward Authoritarianism is in our DNA, it’s probably a natural selection thing.
It is the default in humans to choose brute strength for leadership over thoughtful measured intelligence.
But our higher evolved brain can see beyond this, there is a reason the stronger primates are not leading
the world today and that has nothing to do with strength.
Our prefrontal cortex evolved to be the best part of us as a species and gave us the advantage
over brute strength and made us dominant.
Without teaching our kids the story of our making as a country they are doomed to relive the struggle.
Thank you for your contribution Steve to our never ending need for remembering and retelling our past. And that creativity is elemental to our Freedom.
Thank you Steve and all the others as we turn the calendar, let’s also return to work to preserve our democracy and our world. Much to be done, and we all have a part n this great effort. A year from now let us find our democracy stronger, our justice measured by its equal application and those who would pull us towards a totalitarian state stopped.
A most happy new year.
I cannot wonder, what our current citizenry and the elected representatives would put forward as it’s vision of the next 250 years. Do we have the integrity and will to continue the progress Mr Adams imagined?
When venture capitalists invest huge sums of money they expect an appropriate return. We have invested huge sums in the American dream. Are we getting the needed return?
Happy New Year, Steve--best to you, everyone at your end and all of the readers of this great newsletter!