The lessons from Titanic are enduring 111 years and two months after her sinking 350 miles off the Newfoundland coast on April 14, 1912. The story is an epic tale of hubris, cowardice, recklessness, heroism, greed and extraordinary stupidity. More than 1,500 human beings were killed in the icy waters of the North Atlantic. Some were carried to the bottom 13,000 feet down. Others were recovered in the months after the tragedy, floating, frozen in evening attire and life jackets. The cable ships hauled them out of the water by the hundreds, and brought the bodies to Halifax in the following months for burial.
Interesting imagery. Is the doomed ship just MAGA or the USA? Yes MAGA is moving into an ice field. However , the Ship of State does not need to follow. It can rescue those willing to abandon and return to a normal voyage
When I heard about this incident it brought chills to my spine. I kept thinking over & over again, what must they be thinking and saying to one another and in such a confined space & the panic of knowing that eventually there will be no air? Which made me pause for a moment - we are like those unwitting 3rd class passengers trapped behind doors both chained & locked. We are being sucked down with the rest of the ship. Like a vortex. Only we can see all too clearly the doom Trump brings.
Yet, I felt something in the air today... something is beginning to “turn” and feels different. Right? Am I being naive? Some of the power hungry traitors who road Trumps wicked coattails are starting to surface and speak out. Is anyone else noticing the same...? I wonder... are the tides turning?
I winced at the term “whores.” It evokes powerful negative/shameful imagery. Please think about all that it implies. I know the term “prostituted women,” is not as evocative, but please think about how disrespectful this term is to women who are desperate enough to seek this dangerous profession. And it does nothing to stigmatize their customers! I extend this comment respectfully to Steve as well. (We’re all in this consciousness raising project together -- including myself!) AND Trump’s sycophants definitely prostituted themselves to his MAGA cause!
I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone -- and was certainly not referring to prostituted women. In the original sense, a whore is a prostitute: someone who has sex for money. The word has since broadened to mean anyone who is money-hungry. I meant the latter, broader definition.
Thanks, Steve. Of course. I just noticed that I winced probably at the horrific history and context of the term as much as anything. I noticed just now the fourth definition in Webster is a venal or unscrupulous person. Perfect!
And as for the Republicans, I’m not even sure they prostitute themselves for money as much as for power. It is so terribly sad to me. I try so hard to understand their thinking and their motivations.
Oh they're in it for the money too. Look at Lauren Boebert – she had a shitty small town grill and after two years in the House she is worth $11 million.
Jun 20, 2023·edited Jun 20, 2023Liked by Steve Schmidt
Wow, what a piece.
You would think the BILLIONAIRE was the only person on the sub. Why do we think the only people that matter are the ones with MONEY. Humans. (Keep hearing the billionaire this and that).
Think price tag for that trip was more than $20,000, hell that's the cost of first class on a plane to Australia. Down to the Depths, thinking little more, up to $250,000. The fact remains, all that money, and now more money spent looking for the rich, who were trying to look at the rich.
Rich People Shit.
Be British, Ha, the lies they tell. Be British when they invaded many lands, enslaved many peoples.
Thank you Mr. Steve, appreciate you, and the truth.
Fantastic, Steve. I had never read that Shaw piece. It was brilliant, and you were brilliant in linking it to the current pathetic MAGA moment of the “Grand Old Party.”
What a pitiful, cowardly, embarrassing spectacle it has been and still is. You must pledge fealty to a convicted felon if he is the nominee of that great “party.” Worse than that, you must pledge fealty to possibly the most vile, despicable and narcissistic human being I have ever seen or ever hope to see.
When COVID came, I was terrified--because of Trump. I told many people that we have the absolute worst person on planet earth in charge of our country’s response to it, a person who has never thought one second about another human being except in relation to himself.
Anyway, keep up the good fight. How could anyone(74 million!!!!) entrust him with anything, ever!!! That was apparent from day one to anyone. He was, is and always will be a disaster for our country on every level. I am glad Christie, Barr, et al., are speaking out, I really am, but I can never truly respect or trust them, ever. Trump’s unfitness was impossible to miss.
I voted Republican quite a few times, but I never will again. The only party people I will ever truly respect are the original never Trumpers like you and others. Even as much as I admire Cheney and Kinzinger for what they have done and what they have sacrificed, where were they for four years before?
Anyway, I do know it is going to take all of us in the “coalition of the willing,” even Bill Barr(!), to rid us of this man and his cult.
Turn the whole damned docket over to women, immediately, by whatever means, and watch the hubris dissolve, the lying to stop, the guns to start to disappear, the corruption to be reversed, the arrogance to time out - all of it to be replaced by compassion, organization, collaboration, fairness and above all, LOVE. Men had their chance and the Titanic, as metaphor, is so apt as to be terrifying, a path to disaster. There are those who want to suppress the incredible and timely qualities of women, so needed at the forefront today. It will fall to prescient men to help facilitate this transformation, even though there are more women than men. It cannot happen soon enough. Am I naive? OK. Better to be naive and hopeful than stupid and doomed. Let’s get started!
You are not naive... I read this quote from a very wise woman who when asked:
When will there be enough women on the United States supreme court?
Supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says when all nine seats are filled by female judges:
"So now the perception is, yes, women are here to stay. And when I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the supreme court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." - RBG
I could not agree more that the republican-MAGA party is akin to the Titanic. They just don't know it yet as some of the passengers of that doomed ship weren't. Maybe some ragtime should be played for them.
"The story is an epic tale of hubris, cowardice, recklessness, heroism, greed and extraordinary stupidity." Incredibly accurate quote that will be used for years to come for a description of our current GOP, MAGA movement, and much of the US population. 😔
Steve, "The modern GOP/MAGA party is the Titanic..." Brilliant! Home Run Hit -bases loaded! This is one of your best ever. Your comparison between MAGA and the Titanic is sure to assist in the sinking of MAGA and the pathetic media that kept it afloat at the expense of our Democracy. Thank you!
“ OceanGate offers people the opportunity to join a crew in a five-person submersible called The Titan for an eight-day voyage to view the historic shipwreck, priced at $250,000.”
The GOP has been on a downward spiral since the G.W. Bush administration and the normalization of torture. They did not hit the iceberg in fog they hit it straight on in broad daylight at full steam. It was the GOP's hubris that sunk their ship of fools. Their Captain Donald J. Trump was at the helm and guided their destruction. However, he is not completely to blame for their fated journey. The rest of the Republican party fell in line and are still in line with the cover up of the sinking of the s.s. Trumpanic. Anytime you begin a journey with and led by lies and incompetence it is bound to strike the greater force of truth. In this case it was the DOJ, Trump's iceberg. Every one on board watched in horror and glee as the ship ran into the iceberg. Now they are trying to lay blame on others instead of looking at their own actions. Yes the Trumpanic is breaking up as it makes its historic journey to the bottom of the polluted sea they created where it will be memorialized as the biggest failure of the 21st century. This is where blind ignorance leads to the bottom.
This is an excellent analogy. MAGA displays all of the hubris of the builders, owners, Captain, officers, and non-steerage passengers of Titanic. They live by myth and myth alone. I have studied the loss of Titanic since I read Walter Lord’s “A Night to Remember” in 7th grade (1971). Even then I was shocked by the recklessness of the often sainted Captain Smith, and the inability of his officers to ensure that every boat that left the ship was full. Likewise, the cover-ups in the investigations following were inexcusable, especially the British.
Then there is the hubris of the men who are high risk tourists, going to the inhospitable domains of the deepest parts of the ocean or into space. Both are filled with danger, but when treated as common, everyday tourism become extraordinarily more dangerous. One should not be surprised when people die. This too is like MAGA.
Unlike Titanic, the rescue ship is not on the horizon wondering what is happening. It is standing by ready to rescue anyone willing to abandon MAGA.
Thank you. Seventh grade was when I decided that no matter what else I did in life that I wanted to be a historian. Lord’s book was just the beginning, I read voraciously and by 10th grade I was cutting my boring geometry class to read the history books in the reserve section of the library. After a nearly 40 year military career that ended in 2020 my first book “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond” was published by Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press in last October. It began as an introductory chapter to my Gettysburg Staff Ride Text (which will become a trilogy) from when I was on faculty at the Joint Forces Staff College of the National Defense University. I wanted my students to see how religious ideology motivates people to fight since at the time we were fighting ISIS, Al Qaida, the Taliban, and Iranian surrogates. I’m working on editing my second book which my agent is beginning to shop. It too was an introductory chapter of the Staff Ride Text, and is called “A Great War in an Age of Revolutionary Change” and deals with the war as a harbinger of future wars. I also write on Substack and would be honored if you followed me here.
Interesting imagery. Is the doomed ship just MAGA or the USA? Yes MAGA is moving into an ice field. However , the Ship of State does not need to follow. It can rescue those willing to abandon and return to a normal voyage
Lifeboats are standing by
I loved this. "lifeboats standing by".
When I heard about this incident it brought chills to my spine. I kept thinking over & over again, what must they be thinking and saying to one another and in such a confined space & the panic of knowing that eventually there will be no air? Which made me pause for a moment - we are like those unwitting 3rd class passengers trapped behind doors both chained & locked. We are being sucked down with the rest of the ship. Like a vortex. Only we can see all too clearly the doom Trump brings.
Yet, I felt something in the air today... something is beginning to “turn” and feels different. Right? Am I being naive? Some of the power hungry traitors who road Trumps wicked coattails are starting to surface and speak out. Is anyone else noticing the same...? I wonder... are the tides turning?
🌈
“...sycophants, whores and opportunists...” Ouch! DJT’s people.
AKA Deplorables.
I winced at the term “whores.” It evokes powerful negative/shameful imagery. Please think about all that it implies. I know the term “prostituted women,” is not as evocative, but please think about how disrespectful this term is to women who are desperate enough to seek this dangerous profession. And it does nothing to stigmatize their customers! I extend this comment respectfully to Steve as well. (We’re all in this consciousness raising project together -- including myself!) AND Trump’s sycophants definitely prostituted themselves to his MAGA cause!
Ann,
I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone -- and was certainly not referring to prostituted women. In the original sense, a whore is a prostitute: someone who has sex for money. The word has since broadened to mean anyone who is money-hungry. I meant the latter, broader definition.
Steve
Thanks, Steve. Of course. I just noticed that I winced probably at the horrific history and context of the term as much as anything. I noticed just now the fourth definition in Webster is a venal or unscrupulous person. Perfect!
And as for the Republicans, I’m not even sure they prostitute themselves for money as much as for power. It is so terribly sad to me. I try so hard to understand their thinking and their motivations.
Motivation: Power and Greed
Oh they're in it for the money too. Look at Lauren Boebert – she had a shitty small town grill and after two years in the House she is worth $11 million.
The word "whore" can apply to men just as easily as to women. I suspect Steve was not referring solely to women when he used that word.
Wow, what a piece.
You would think the BILLIONAIRE was the only person on the sub. Why do we think the only people that matter are the ones with MONEY. Humans. (Keep hearing the billionaire this and that).
Think price tag for that trip was more than $20,000, hell that's the cost of first class on a plane to Australia. Down to the Depths, thinking little more, up to $250,000. The fact remains, all that money, and now more money spent looking for the rich, who were trying to look at the rich.
Rich People Shit.
Be British, Ha, the lies they tell. Be British when they invaded many lands, enslaved many peoples.
Thank you Mr. Steve, appreciate you, and the truth.
Corrected — $250,000.
Thank you, that’s what I thought I read. Then I thought maybe it was a typo!
Five fewer rich morons to contend with. That hits me as good news.
Fantastic, Steve. I had never read that Shaw piece. It was brilliant, and you were brilliant in linking it to the current pathetic MAGA moment of the “Grand Old Party.”
What a pitiful, cowardly, embarrassing spectacle it has been and still is. You must pledge fealty to a convicted felon if he is the nominee of that great “party.” Worse than that, you must pledge fealty to possibly the most vile, despicable and narcissistic human being I have ever seen or ever hope to see.
When COVID came, I was terrified--because of Trump. I told many people that we have the absolute worst person on planet earth in charge of our country’s response to it, a person who has never thought one second about another human being except in relation to himself.
Anyway, keep up the good fight. How could anyone(74 million!!!!) entrust him with anything, ever!!! That was apparent from day one to anyone. He was, is and always will be a disaster for our country on every level. I am glad Christie, Barr, et al., are speaking out, I really am, but I can never truly respect or trust them, ever. Trump’s unfitness was impossible to miss.
I voted Republican quite a few times, but I never will again. The only party people I will ever truly respect are the original never Trumpers like you and others. Even as much as I admire Cheney and Kinzinger for what they have done and what they have sacrificed, where were they for four years before?
Anyway, I do know it is going to take all of us in the “coalition of the willing,” even Bill Barr(!), to rid us of this man and his cult.
Thank you for what you do.
I think Kinzinger spoke up in the beginning, but he knew he was not running again.
I am talking about 2016, 2017, etc. He did nothing.
OK, my apologies. I obviously did not remember correctly when he started speaking up. Probably once he knew he was not running for reelection! 😬
Turn the whole damned docket over to women, immediately, by whatever means, and watch the hubris dissolve, the lying to stop, the guns to start to disappear, the corruption to be reversed, the arrogance to time out - all of it to be replaced by compassion, organization, collaboration, fairness and above all, LOVE. Men had their chance and the Titanic, as metaphor, is so apt as to be terrifying, a path to disaster. There are those who want to suppress the incredible and timely qualities of women, so needed at the forefront today. It will fall to prescient men to help facilitate this transformation, even though there are more women than men. It cannot happen soon enough. Am I naive? OK. Better to be naive and hopeful than stupid and doomed. Let’s get started!
You are not naive... I read this quote from a very wise woman who when asked:
When will there be enough women on the United States supreme court?
Supreme court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg says when all nine seats are filled by female judges:
"So now the perception is, yes, women are here to stay. And when I'm sometimes asked when will there be enough [women on the supreme court]? And I say when there are nine, people are shocked. But there'd been nine men, and nobody's ever raised a question about that." - RBG
Biden is taking a pretty good go at it! A woman, vice president, a woman, supreme court nominee, etc.
Right On! Thanks. (Let's get started!)
I could not agree more that the republican-MAGA party is akin to the Titanic. They just don't know it yet as some of the passengers of that doomed ship weren't. Maybe some ragtime should be played for them.
Actually it would be Fleetwood Mac sans permission.
You're right. I stand corrected.
But who from the Republican Party play DiCaprio and Winslet?! 😂
What a great analogy Steve. I always appreciate the historical contexts you use to frame current events.
"The story is an epic tale of hubris, cowardice, recklessness, heroism, greed and extraordinary stupidity." Incredibly accurate quote that will be used for years to come for a description of our current GOP, MAGA movement, and much of the US population. 😔
Steve, "The modern GOP/MAGA party is the Titanic..." Brilliant! Home Run Hit -bases loaded! This is one of your best ever. Your comparison between MAGA and the Titanic is sure to assist in the sinking of MAGA and the pathetic media that kept it afloat at the expense of our Democracy. Thank you!
They want to romantically describe a tragedy.
$20,000 s incorrect:
“ OceanGate offers people the opportunity to join a crew in a five-person submersible called The Titan for an eight-day voyage to view the historic shipwreck, priced at $250,000.”
Corrected. Thanks!
Thank you Linda. I was just going to note that.
Vacations for over-educated under-intelligent rich Yuppies. Five fewer of them is an improvement.
I don’t think they deserved to die, but they knew there were risks and they were willing to take them.
Excellent.
The GOP has been on a downward spiral since the G.W. Bush administration and the normalization of torture. They did not hit the iceberg in fog they hit it straight on in broad daylight at full steam. It was the GOP's hubris that sunk their ship of fools. Their Captain Donald J. Trump was at the helm and guided their destruction. However, he is not completely to blame for their fated journey. The rest of the Republican party fell in line and are still in line with the cover up of the sinking of the s.s. Trumpanic. Anytime you begin a journey with and led by lies and incompetence it is bound to strike the greater force of truth. In this case it was the DOJ, Trump's iceberg. Every one on board watched in horror and glee as the ship ran into the iceberg. Now they are trying to lay blame on others instead of looking at their own actions. Yes the Trumpanic is breaking up as it makes its historic journey to the bottom of the polluted sea they created where it will be memorialized as the biggest failure of the 21st century. This is where blind ignorance leads to the bottom.
Steve, your good with a pen! Keep it up!
This is an excellent analogy. MAGA displays all of the hubris of the builders, owners, Captain, officers, and non-steerage passengers of Titanic. They live by myth and myth alone. I have studied the loss of Titanic since I read Walter Lord’s “A Night to Remember” in 7th grade (1971). Even then I was shocked by the recklessness of the often sainted Captain Smith, and the inability of his officers to ensure that every boat that left the ship was full. Likewise, the cover-ups in the investigations following were inexcusable, especially the British.
Then there is the hubris of the men who are high risk tourists, going to the inhospitable domains of the deepest parts of the ocean or into space. Both are filled with danger, but when treated as common, everyday tourism become extraordinarily more dangerous. One should not be surprised when people die. This too is like MAGA.
Unlike Titanic, the rescue ship is not on the horizon wondering what is happening. It is standing by ready to rescue anyone willing to abandon MAGA.
Interestingly I wrote this on my legacy blog back in 2020. https://padresteve.com/2020/04/15/god-himself-could-not-sink-this-ship-the-titanic-bruce-ismay-and-trump/
Peace,
Steve Dundas
Your piece is excellent. I, too, loved that book as a kid. It instilled in me a love of reading.
Steve
Steve,
Thank you. Seventh grade was when I decided that no matter what else I did in life that I wanted to be a historian. Lord’s book was just the beginning, I read voraciously and by 10th grade I was cutting my boring geometry class to read the history books in the reserve section of the library. After a nearly 40 year military career that ended in 2020 my first book “Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory: Religion and the Politics of Race in the Civil War Era and Beyond” was published by Potomac Books, an imprint of the University of Nebraska Press in last October. It began as an introductory chapter to my Gettysburg Staff Ride Text (which will become a trilogy) from when I was on faculty at the Joint Forces Staff College of the National Defense University. I wanted my students to see how religious ideology motivates people to fight since at the time we were fighting ISIS, Al Qaida, the Taliban, and Iranian surrogates. I’m working on editing my second book which my agent is beginning to shop. It too was an introductory chapter of the Staff Ride Text, and is called “A Great War in an Age of Revolutionary Change” and deals with the war as a harbinger of future wars. I also write on Substack and would be honored if you followed me here.
By the way, here is the first post that I ever wrote about Trump and MAGA from December 2015. https://padresteve.com/2015/12/10/the-mob-determined-the-theme/
Peace,
Steve