There’s a song I want you to hear. It’s called A'touna Et-Tufoole – “Give Us a Chance.” I’ve loved it since I was small, like so many other children here. It’s a favorite for us – in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon – all the places where children have grown up under skies filled with war. It’s a song we sing to the world, asking them to hear us, asking them to see us, asking them to understand that all we want is a chance to live, to play, to feel safe.
The song is simple, really, but every time I sing it, it feels like my heart is reaching out. The words say, I am a child with something to say, please listen to me. I am a child who wants to play – why don’t you let me? My doors are waiting, my friends are praying, small hearts are begging – give us a chance.
When I sing these words, it’s like I’m speaking for every child here in Gaza, for every friend I’ve lost, for every family that has been broken apart. We are begging, give us a chance. Just a chance to be children, to play, to laugh, to feel like tomorrow isn’t something to be afraid of.
I want you to listen to this song because maybe, if you hear it, you’ll understand what we’re feeling. Maybe you’ll hear our voices, crying out from behind the rubble, through the pain, over the sound of the bombs. Maybe then you’ll see us as we are – not just faces on a screen, not just numbers or statistics, but real children, children with hopes, with dreams, with small hearts that are tired of begging.
Please, from the bottom of my heart, listen to this song. Hear our plea, not as words from a distant place, but as the voice of a child asking you for the simplest thing – the chance to live. Give us a chance. Give us peace. ‘Atouna Es-Salam.
Listen to A’touna Et-Tufoole - Give Us a Chance - The Voice Kids on YouTube
Thank you for reading my story. I hope it reaches your heart. We are not just statistics or news flashes. We are children with dreams, with lives, with loved ones who have been taken from us. And all we ask is that you truly see us, that you remember our names, and that you demand justice and mercy on our behalf.
The Republicans and Democrats are using your tax dollars to fund, arm, and provide political cover for genocide—the worst crime known to man. To add insult to injury, these heinous war criminals say that they support Israel’s right to defend itself—like slaughtering thousands of innocent children could ever be considered self-defense. If this is not enough of a reason to withdraw your support from these two horrifically corrupt political parties—what the hell would be?
What if I told you that I could prove the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties have been conspiring together to subvert the rule of law? You know, conspiring together to strip away everyone’s constitutional rights--including yours. Would proof of treason be enough of a reason to withdraw your support from these two bought and paid for political parties? Well, I have that proof. I put it in a book. All you have to do is read it. (There is a link for a free digital copy in this post.)
My name is Ted Martin. I have finished writing a book about my first hand encounters with a morbidly corrupt federal judicial system. The book is titled: The Illusion of Justice and contains documented, incontrovertible proof of widespread systemic corruption in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of United States Courts, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Supreme Court not only ignored two of the most egregious cases of judicial misconduct imaginable (my cases) but also an amicus brief by former Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner in which he blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Posner’s amicus brief is posted on the Supreme Court’s website at www.supremecourt.gov and can be accessed by typing in the following case number: Martin v. Living Essentials (Case No. 17-8352)
It will be painfully obvious to anyone who reads my book (or Judges Posner’s amicus brief) that the Supreme Court denies certiorari without even bothering to read the petitions submitted by the citizens of the United States. This obscene betrayal of the public trust is a clear-cut violation of every Justice’s judicial oath and a crime under federal law that is commonly referred to as honest services fraud.
In short, my book proves that the leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties have been conspiring together to pack the courts with corrupt corporate judges who will never side with the American people. This was abundantly clear when Senator Chuck Schumer and the other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee repeatedly refused to use irrefutable evidence of judicial misconduct by Amy Coney Barrett (a Republican nominee) at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
This bipartisan band of seditious conspirators also refused to address the underlying corruption in clear violation of their oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
The only difference between the two major political parties is the rhetoric. The special interest groups running this country don’t give a damn which bribe taking stooge you vote for or even if you vote at all. They have already successfully rigged every election by controlling “our” choices.
The leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties have been caught red-handed conspiring to pack the courts with corrupt judges who will never side with you. If there was ever a reason to be a one issue voter, this is it. Besides, any politician caught lying about their fidelity to the Constitution and laws of the United States is obviously lying about everything—particularly their agenda.
Republicans push the corrupt corporate agenda. Democrats pretend to be opposed. Together, they sell their offices to the highest bidders. They foment war for the military industrial complex, promote racism for the prison industrial complex, refuse to restrict access to assault weapons for the gun manufactures, permit large quantities of toxic cancer causing chemicals to be dumped into our air, land, and water for the chemical manufactures, deny needed medical care to our country’s citizens for the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and turn a willful blind eye to the catastrophic effects of global warming for the fossil fuel industries. The list of their greed fueled crimes against humanity goes on and on.
Voting your current elected representatives out of office should be a no brainer. But, to make sure that they are not replaced with another batch of equally corrupt corporate stooges, we’re also going to have to take back both the Republican and Democratic parties and get the money out of politics.
While this may appear to be a daunting task, all we really need is a sound plan. After giving this matter some careful consideration, I have the following proposal: We agree to put aside all of our ideological differences and unite as Americans in support of the Constitution of the United States.
If you read my book, it really won’t be that difficult. You will know who the real enemy is and it certainly isn’t your fellow citizens. We just need to become one issue voters. Ignore their contrived wedge issues, bullshit talking points, and cringe worthy campaign ads. If they are not fighting tooth and nail to get the money out of politics—don’t legitimize them with your vote.
Seriously, if in doubt—throw them out. Besides, any government official who is not forcefully calling for the resignations of the corrupt leaders of their own political party is, by definition, violating their oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Whether Republican or Democrat, a treasonous corporate criminal is a treasonous corporate criminal, they serve the same master and nothing is going to change until we get the money out of politics.
*You get the money out of politics by publicly funding elections, banning all campaign contributions, and, in exchange for their broadcasting/operating licenses, requiring news organizations to give every candidate for public office an equal amount of free advertising space.
In the future, I may write a book titled: The Illusion of Journalism. But for now, I’m just going to say that the media is not going to help anyone blow the whistle on their partners in crime. In the past four years, I couldn’t find a single news organization that hadn’t sold us out.
All an honest journalist would have to do is read Judge Posner’s amicus brief to know that the courts are irretrievably corrupt. Reading my book will conclusively show that the courts are corrupt by design.
P.S. I blame the Federalist Society for the corruption in the federal judicial system. The six so-called conservative justices on the Supreme Court, Mitch McConnell, and all the Republican Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee are members of the Federalist Society. Donald Trump picked “his” judicial nominees from lists provided by the Federalist Society.
I didn’t know that the Democrats were in on it until I tried to give them proof of judicial misconduct by Amy Coney Barrett at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing. If you would like to read about their reprehensible conduct, you can skip ahead to the Postscript on page 221 of my book. But, for goodness sake, read the rest of the book. The courts are more corrupt than you can possibly imagine!
The judges in both of my cases incorporated the defendant’s fraudulent defenses into their opinions even after I pointed out the fraud in every brief that I filed. These “judges” are clearly taking dictation from corporate defense counsel without even reading the plaintiff’s briefs. These black robed grifters obviously fixed both of my cases. But, by far, the worst part of the whole ordeal was knowing that they were systematically violating everyone’s constitutional rights—they just got caught violating mine.
I’ve never been more excited/anxious/agitated/nervous/thrilled/hopeful about any election in my life. Which is saying a lot because well before I could vote I was highly invested in politics, being a good Democrat and volunteering back in the days of GOTV mailings where you had to lick the envelopes - those little water sticks with the sponges on the end weren’t available.
Also, I know it’s hard to find ‘bangers’ as the kids say, about the state of Wisconsin. But as the mother of a member of the UW Madison Marching Band - I’m thrilled to see you’ve included their fight song “On Wisconsin” !!!!! ‘Varsity’ is also quality tune but not really the blood pumper you need for an invigorating wait-in-line kind of playlist!!!!
I’m curious now though …. does anyone know of ANY songs about Wisconsin - or mentioning it or its cities at length??? Madison is just about the coolest place on earth. I do find it hard to believe there hasn’t been a good folk song written about Madison, Wisconsin!!!!!
Thanks for everything, Michael. it’s a challenging time for me personally and your Substack
Is always a bright light in an often dark and fearful day. I’m very grateful.
Here’s to the first woman POTUS - we have the honor of being the people who not only watch it happen; but who make it happen. Nothing but gratitude. When Roe became the law of our land, they still didn’t allow female students in the UW Madison Marching Band. That changed the following year. As women who are the mothers of young women; it is hard to even form sentences to convey the joyful levity of helping to elect the very first female as the President of the United States. I don’t think I have allowed myself to FEEL what this means to me. As a woman, it is survival to keep expectations of respect at bay.
You summed up my feelings about this election as well. As for Wisconsin songs, it's a bit of a stretch, but how about the Happy Days theme song? It took place in Wisconsin, yes? (I've taken my picture with the bronze Fonz in Milwaukee 😁.) Having been fortunate enough to visit Wisconsin several times, I found Wisconsin and its people to be really lovely.
Oooh... Went to bed early, and I really, really want Donito to read my, Goodbye letter to him, so I'm reposting it here.
But... Joni Mitchell, I have always loved you, I was twelve years old when I heard this song driving through Boston in the back seat of my parents car. They turned up the volume. I remember.
Your message to America at your recent concert was perfect.
Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
It feels like I’m screaming into a void. Sometimes I think the world sees us as just images on a screen, like we’re actors in some distant movie. But we’re real. This is real. I don’t have a leg anymore, and the pain never stops. I see children, younger than me, who have lost even more – their families, their homes, their limbs. And we’re left here, watching as you all decide who will be the next to take away what little we have left.
If you could live here for even one day, feel the hunger, the thirst, the terror of never knowing if you’ll make it through the night, maybe then you’d understand. Maybe then you’d stop choosing our next executioner and start choosing justice. We’re not asking for sympathy; we’re asking for survival, for a chance to live like you do – with safety, with family, with hope.
We’ve shown you the truth. We’ve shared our stories, our faces, our suffering. All we ask is that you stop looking away, that you stop pretending this is normal, that you stop deciding which leader will determine our fate as if we don’t matter. We’re here. We’re waiting for you to see us, really see us, and stop this before there’s nothing left of us to save.
Hi All! Happy Election Day! I'm listening to Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) Radio Heartland stream and they're playing Simon & Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which I'm finding very soothing. Yesterday, I played Dan Rather's recommendation, the Traveling Wilburys' "End of the Line", which, for me, has always been an uplifting song. I voted--and I hope you did, too. That's our power.
They had to take my leg to save my life. There was no other way, they said. But there wasn’t enough medicine, no anesthesia. I had to bite down on a piece of cloth while they cut it off, and I screamed until I thought my voice would disappear. When I closed my eyes, I could see my mother’s face, her voice telling me to be strong. But how can anyone be strong when the world decides you’re not meant to live?
It didn’t end there, though. The infection kept coming back, over and over, and there was no way to stop it. There were hardly any antibiotics – nothing but pain and a fever that wouldn’t leave me. I had to go through more surgeries, more times lying there, helpless, watching the world go dark. Each time, they cut a little more away, hoping it would save me. But in this place, where the water isn’t even clean enough to drink, how can we heal? There’s hardly any water for bathing, and when it rains, sewage floods through the encampments, the so-called “safe zones” they put us in.
And now, I have only one family member left. My little brother, Nabil, who’s five. Somehow, he made it out alive, almost untouched. It’s like a miracle, they say, that he was pulled from the rubble with barely a scratch, just covered in dust, his big eyes staring out in shock. He doesn’t talk much anymore. Sometimes he just stares into space, clutching onto me as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear too. I don’t even know where the rest of our family is – if they’re alive, if they’re somewhere far away, displaced like so many others, or if they’re gone too. I have no way to find them, no way to even reach out.
Strangers have been kind to us, feeding us from the little they have. People here have nothing, yet somehow, they still find a way to share what’s left. I see them slipping a piece of bread into my brother’s hand or bringing us blankets at night. It’s the only warmth we have left – the kindness of those who have lost just as much, who know that if we don’t look after each other, there will be nothing left.
There’s another truth we face here every day – the fact that children like us are not just being killed by bombs. I’ve heard the doctors talk about it, the American doctors who came here and saw it for themselves. They’ve written to President Biden, pleading with him, sharing what they saw with their own eyes. They’ve testified that children as young as toddlers are being deliberately targeted by Israeli snipers. They see us, children, shot with high-velocity sniper bullets, bullets that hit exactly on the forehead, the side of the head, or right over the heart. And these snipers are known for their skill; they don’t miss by accident. When you see so many children hit with this kind of precision, it’s clear – they are aiming to kill us.
WHILE THEY INSTALL A FASCIST DICTATOR TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.??????
LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!!!.
Trump said that he will arrest anyone who has disagreed with him because they are the enemies within.
My GOD
IF TRUMP IS NOT STOPPED NOW, WE WILL BE A FASCIST DICTATORSHIP FOR DECADES.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS THE POWER TO STOP TRUMP.
Biden gained special powers when Trumps compromised judges on the Supreme Court, gave the office of the presidency the powers to make Trump immune from being prosecuted for any crimes he committed and any crimes he wants to commit while in office again.
Biden can use these powers the same as Trump can.
Under the charge of TREASON, Biden must Immediately use his power to remove Trumps corrupted judges off the Supreme Court and remove all traitors in Congress who supported Trumps violent insurrection attempt to take control of the country.
BUT after January 20 2025, there will never be another chance to stop Trump again.
This is the last chance we have to stop the dictatorial takeover of the United States.
The United States Constitution states that
"The punishment for treason is a minimum of five years in prison, a fine of at least $10,000, and the loss of the right to hold public office."
So why is this NOT happening?
(IF YOU AGREE THEN PLEASE RELAY THIS MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN AND RE-POST)
How about the Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again. You know, Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss. I know it hurts. I’m grieving. But we have to face the facts. We liberals are better than this. But America as we know it IS NOT! There is still too much racism, misogyny, and homophobia in America as the reason our New Boss is the same as the Old Boss.
Because Trump supporters have passed nearly 100 voter suppression laws.
At least 30 states enacted 78 restrictive laws, at least 63 of which are set to be in effect in 29 states in time for the 2024 election.
Those 78 restrictive voting laws account for over two-thirds of all restrictive laws enacted since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.
President Biden has the power to stop Trump.
BUT after January 20 2025, (about 70 days from now.) There will never be another chance to stop Trump again.
Biden gained special powers when Trumps corrupted judges, gave the office of the presidency the powers to make Trump immune to being prosecuted for any crimes he committed and any crimes he wants to commit while in office again.
Biden can use these powers the same as Trump can, that Trump said he will do.
Biden must Immediately utilize his power to remove Trumps corrupted judges off of the Supreme Court bench for treason.
He must immediately remove all traitors in Congress for treason, who supported Trumps insurrection attempt to take permanent control over the United States.
This is the last chance we have to stop the dictatorial Takeover of the United States.
"The United States Constitution states that
"The punishment for treason is a minimum of five years in prison, a fine of at least $10,000, and the loss of the right to hold public office."
So why is this NOT happening????
We are heading straight for a fascist dictatorship.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures or the United States will lose its AMERICAN FREEDOM TITLE FOREVER.
Because Trump supporters have passed nearly 100 voter suppression laws.
At least 30 states enacted 78 restrictive laws, at least 63 of which are set to be in effect in 29 states in time for the 2024 election.
Those 78 restrictive voting laws account for over two-thirds of all restrictive laws enacted since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.
President Biden has the power to stop Trump.
BUT after January 20 2025, (about 70 days from now.) There will never be another chance to stop Trump again.
Biden gained special powers when Trumps corrupted judges, gave the office of the presidency the powers to make Trump immune to being prosecuted for any crimes he committed and any crimes he wants to commit while in office.
Biden can use these powers the same as Trump can, which Trump said he will do.
Biden must Immediately remove the corrupted judges off of the Supreme Court for treason.
He must immediately remove all traitors in Congress for treason, who supported Trumps insurrection attempt to take permanent control over the United States.
This is the last chance we have to stop the dictatorial Takeover of the United States.
"The United States Constitution states that
"The punishment for treason is a minimum of five years in prison, a fine of at least $10,000, and the loss of the right to hold public office."
So why is this NOT happening????
We are heading straight for a fascist dictatorship.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
Or the United States will lose its AMERICAN FREEDOM TITLE FOREVER.
Part 5
There’s a song I want you to hear. It’s called A'touna Et-Tufoole – “Give Us a Chance.” I’ve loved it since I was small, like so many other children here. It’s a favorite for us – in Palestine, Syria, Lebanon – all the places where children have grown up under skies filled with war. It’s a song we sing to the world, asking them to hear us, asking them to see us, asking them to understand that all we want is a chance to live, to play, to feel safe.
The song is simple, really, but every time I sing it, it feels like my heart is reaching out. The words say, I am a child with something to say, please listen to me. I am a child who wants to play – why don’t you let me? My doors are waiting, my friends are praying, small hearts are begging – give us a chance.
When I sing these words, it’s like I’m speaking for every child here in Gaza, for every friend I’ve lost, for every family that has been broken apart. We are begging, give us a chance. Just a chance to be children, to play, to laugh, to feel like tomorrow isn’t something to be afraid of.
I want you to listen to this song because maybe, if you hear it, you’ll understand what we’re feeling. Maybe you’ll hear our voices, crying out from behind the rubble, through the pain, over the sound of the bombs. Maybe then you’ll see us as we are – not just faces on a screen, not just numbers or statistics, but real children, children with hopes, with dreams, with small hearts that are tired of begging.
Please, from the bottom of my heart, listen to this song. Hear our plea, not as words from a distant place, but as the voice of a child asking you for the simplest thing – the chance to live. Give us a chance. Give us peace. ‘Atouna Es-Salam.
Listen to A’touna Et-Tufoole - Give Us a Chance - The Voice Kids on YouTube
https://youtu.be/Kc1yfZngUms?feature=shared
Thank you for reading my story. I hope it reaches your heart. We are not just statistics or news flashes. We are children with dreams, with lives, with loved ones who have been taken from us. And all we ask is that you truly see us, that you remember our names, and that you demand justice and mercy on our behalf.
My fellow Americans,
The Republicans and Democrats are using your tax dollars to fund, arm, and provide political cover for genocide—the worst crime known to man. To add insult to injury, these heinous war criminals say that they support Israel’s right to defend itself—like slaughtering thousands of innocent children could ever be considered self-defense. If this is not enough of a reason to withdraw your support from these two horrifically corrupt political parties—what the hell would be?
What if I told you that I could prove the leaders of the Republican and Democratic parties have been conspiring together to subvert the rule of law? You know, conspiring together to strip away everyone’s constitutional rights--including yours. Would proof of treason be enough of a reason to withdraw your support from these two bought and paid for political parties? Well, I have that proof. I put it in a book. All you have to do is read it. (There is a link for a free digital copy in this post.)
My name is Ted Martin. I have finished writing a book about my first hand encounters with a morbidly corrupt federal judicial system. The book is titled: The Illusion of Justice and contains documented, incontrovertible proof of widespread systemic corruption in the District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, the United States Supreme Court, the Administrative Office of United States Courts, the Senate Judiciary Committee, and the U.S. Department of Justice.
The Supreme Court not only ignored two of the most egregious cases of judicial misconduct imaginable (my cases) but also an amicus brief by former Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Richard Posner in which he blows the whistle on rampant corruption in the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
Judge Posner’s amicus brief is posted on the Supreme Court’s website at www.supremecourt.gov and can be accessed by typing in the following case number: Martin v. Living Essentials (Case No. 17-8352)
It will be painfully obvious to anyone who reads my book (or Judges Posner’s amicus brief) that the Supreme Court denies certiorari without even bothering to read the petitions submitted by the citizens of the United States. This obscene betrayal of the public trust is a clear-cut violation of every Justice’s judicial oath and a crime under federal law that is commonly referred to as honest services fraud.
In short, my book proves that the leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties have been conspiring together to pack the courts with corrupt corporate judges who will never side with the American people. This was abundantly clear when Senator Chuck Schumer and the other Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee repeatedly refused to use irrefutable evidence of judicial misconduct by Amy Coney Barrett (a Republican nominee) at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing.
This bipartisan band of seditious conspirators also refused to address the underlying corruption in clear violation of their oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
The only difference between the two major political parties is the rhetoric. The special interest groups running this country don’t give a damn which bribe taking stooge you vote for or even if you vote at all. They have already successfully rigged every election by controlling “our” choices.
The leaders of both the Republican and Democratic parties have been caught red-handed conspiring to pack the courts with corrupt judges who will never side with you. If there was ever a reason to be a one issue voter, this is it. Besides, any politician caught lying about their fidelity to the Constitution and laws of the United States is obviously lying about everything—particularly their agenda.
Republicans push the corrupt corporate agenda. Democrats pretend to be opposed. Together, they sell their offices to the highest bidders. They foment war for the military industrial complex, promote racism for the prison industrial complex, refuse to restrict access to assault weapons for the gun manufactures, permit large quantities of toxic cancer causing chemicals to be dumped into our air, land, and water for the chemical manufactures, deny needed medical care to our country’s citizens for the health insurance and pharmaceutical industries, and turn a willful blind eye to the catastrophic effects of global warming for the fossil fuel industries. The list of their greed fueled crimes against humanity goes on and on.
Voting your current elected representatives out of office should be a no brainer. But, to make sure that they are not replaced with another batch of equally corrupt corporate stooges, we’re also going to have to take back both the Republican and Democratic parties and get the money out of politics.
While this may appear to be a daunting task, all we really need is a sound plan. After giving this matter some careful consideration, I have the following proposal: We agree to put aside all of our ideological differences and unite as Americans in support of the Constitution of the United States.
If you read my book, it really won’t be that difficult. You will know who the real enemy is and it certainly isn’t your fellow citizens. We just need to become one issue voters. Ignore their contrived wedge issues, bullshit talking points, and cringe worthy campaign ads. If they are not fighting tooth and nail to get the money out of politics—don’t legitimize them with your vote.
Seriously, if in doubt—throw them out. Besides, any government official who is not forcefully calling for the resignations of the corrupt leaders of their own political party is, by definition, violating their oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”
Whether Republican or Democrat, a treasonous corporate criminal is a treasonous corporate criminal, they serve the same master and nothing is going to change until we get the money out of politics.
*You get the money out of politics by publicly funding elections, banning all campaign contributions, and, in exchange for their broadcasting/operating licenses, requiring news organizations to give every candidate for public office an equal amount of free advertising space.
In the future, I may write a book titled: The Illusion of Journalism. But for now, I’m just going to say that the media is not going to help anyone blow the whistle on their partners in crime. In the past four years, I couldn’t find a single news organization that hadn’t sold us out.
All an honest journalist would have to do is read Judge Posner’s amicus brief to know that the courts are irretrievably corrupt. Reading my book will conclusively show that the courts are corrupt by design.
If you want a government that actually acts in your best interests, I urge you and everyone you know to read my book as soon as possible. You can get a digital copy of my book free of charge at the link below: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_vaMH1riLodzOfQn0kI7ow0RDrPM0NqE/view?usp=sharing
P.S. I blame the Federalist Society for the corruption in the federal judicial system. The six so-called conservative justices on the Supreme Court, Mitch McConnell, and all the Republican Senators on the Senate Judiciary Committee are members of the Federalist Society. Donald Trump picked “his” judicial nominees from lists provided by the Federalist Society.
I didn’t know that the Democrats were in on it until I tried to give them proof of judicial misconduct by Amy Coney Barrett at her Supreme Court confirmation hearing. If you would like to read about their reprehensible conduct, you can skip ahead to the Postscript on page 221 of my book. But, for goodness sake, read the rest of the book. The courts are more corrupt than you can possibly imagine!
The judges in both of my cases incorporated the defendant’s fraudulent defenses into their opinions even after I pointed out the fraud in every brief that I filed. These “judges” are clearly taking dictation from corporate defense counsel without even reading the plaintiff’s briefs. These black robed grifters obviously fixed both of my cases. But, by far, the worst part of the whole ordeal was knowing that they were systematically violating everyone’s constitutional rights—they just got caught violating mine.
Ok YAY! You come through every time 😻
LOVE that The Accidentals are on your play list! And LOVE your playlist! Thanks! Dance at the polls!
P.S. I am no longer "your token Republican." There is no Republican Party left.
Good list. You forgot “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy.
Love you man! Don't forget to get some sleep tonight! 🎯
Michael! You left out "California Dreamin'"by The Mamas & The Papas! (My great state of CA left out of the list!)
I’ve never been more excited/anxious/agitated/nervous/thrilled/hopeful about any election in my life. Which is saying a lot because well before I could vote I was highly invested in politics, being a good Democrat and volunteering back in the days of GOTV mailings where you had to lick the envelopes - those little water sticks with the sponges on the end weren’t available.
Also, I know it’s hard to find ‘bangers’ as the kids say, about the state of Wisconsin. But as the mother of a member of the UW Madison Marching Band - I’m thrilled to see you’ve included their fight song “On Wisconsin” !!!!! ‘Varsity’ is also quality tune but not really the blood pumper you need for an invigorating wait-in-line kind of playlist!!!!
I’m curious now though …. does anyone know of ANY songs about Wisconsin - or mentioning it or its cities at length??? Madison is just about the coolest place on earth. I do find it hard to believe there hasn’t been a good folk song written about Madison, Wisconsin!!!!!
Thanks for everything, Michael. it’s a challenging time for me personally and your Substack
Is always a bright light in an often dark and fearful day. I’m very grateful.
Here’s to the first woman POTUS - we have the honor of being the people who not only watch it happen; but who make it happen. Nothing but gratitude. When Roe became the law of our land, they still didn’t allow female students in the UW Madison Marching Band. That changed the following year. As women who are the mothers of young women; it is hard to even form sentences to convey the joyful levity of helping to elect the very first female as the President of the United States. I don’t think I have allowed myself to FEEL what this means to me. As a woman, it is survival to keep expectations of respect at bay.
It is time now I’ll
For all of that to change.
What a beautiful day.
You summed up my feelings about this election as well. As for Wisconsin songs, it's a bit of a stretch, but how about the Happy Days theme song? It took place in Wisconsin, yes? (I've taken my picture with the bronze Fonz in Milwaukee 😁.) Having been fortunate enough to visit Wisconsin several times, I found Wisconsin and its people to be really lovely.
Oooh... Went to bed early, and I really, really want Donito to read my, Goodbye letter to him, so I'm reposting it here.
But... Joni Mitchell, I have always loved you, I was twelve years old when I heard this song driving through Boston in the back seat of my parents car. They turned up the volume. I remember.
Your message to America at your recent concert was perfect.
Yesterday a child came out to wonder
Caught a dragonfly inside a jar
Fearful when the sky was full of thunder
And tearful at the falling of a star
Then the child moved ten times round the seasons
Skated over ten clear frozen streams
Words like when you're older must appease him
And promises of someday make his dreams
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
Sixteen springs and sixteen summers gone now
Cartwheels turn to car wheels thru the town
And they tell him take your time it won't be long now
Till you drag your feet to slow the circles down
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
So the years spin by and now the boy is twenty
Though his dreams have lost some grandeur coming true
There'll be new dreams maybe better dreams and plenty
Before the last revolving year is through
And the seasons they go round and round
And the painted ponies go up and down
We're captive on the carousel of time
We can't return we can only look
Behind from where we came
And go round and round and round
In the circle game
................................................................................
Donito,
I don't like you either.
I really, really don't like you.
Go Flush yourself down that gold-painted toilet, and have Melania flush two or three more times for good luck.
Your supporters aren't garbage, Donito, so they can go with you. Buh Byeee.
Please don't molest the sewer rats as you go by. They don't like you either.
Donito,
I don't like you either.
I really, really don't like you.
Go Flush yourself down that gold-painted toilet, and have Melania flush two or three more times for good luck.
Your supporters aren't garbage, Donito, so they can go with you. Buh Byeee.
Please don't molest the sewer rats as you go by. They don't like you either.
Part 4
It feels like I’m screaming into a void. Sometimes I think the world sees us as just images on a screen, like we’re actors in some distant movie. But we’re real. This is real. I don’t have a leg anymore, and the pain never stops. I see children, younger than me, who have lost even more – their families, their homes, their limbs. And we’re left here, watching as you all decide who will be the next to take away what little we have left.
If you could live here for even one day, feel the hunger, the thirst, the terror of never knowing if you’ll make it through the night, maybe then you’d understand. Maybe then you’d stop choosing our next executioner and start choosing justice. We’re not asking for sympathy; we’re asking for survival, for a chance to live like you do – with safety, with family, with hope.
We’ve shown you the truth. We’ve shared our stories, our faces, our suffering. All we ask is that you stop looking away, that you stop pretending this is normal, that you stop deciding which leader will determine our fate as if we don’t matter. We’re here. We’re waiting for you to see us, really see us, and stop this before there’s nothing left of us to save.
Hi All! Happy Election Day! I'm listening to Minnesota Public Radio's (MPR) Radio Heartland stream and they're playing Simon & Garfunkle's "Bridge Over Troubled Water", which I'm finding very soothing. Yesterday, I played Dan Rather's recommendation, the Traveling Wilburys' "End of the Line", which, for me, has always been an uplifting song. I voted--and I hope you did, too. That's our power.
Part 2
They had to take my leg to save my life. There was no other way, they said. But there wasn’t enough medicine, no anesthesia. I had to bite down on a piece of cloth while they cut it off, and I screamed until I thought my voice would disappear. When I closed my eyes, I could see my mother’s face, her voice telling me to be strong. But how can anyone be strong when the world decides you’re not meant to live?
It didn’t end there, though. The infection kept coming back, over and over, and there was no way to stop it. There were hardly any antibiotics – nothing but pain and a fever that wouldn’t leave me. I had to go through more surgeries, more times lying there, helpless, watching the world go dark. Each time, they cut a little more away, hoping it would save me. But in this place, where the water isn’t even clean enough to drink, how can we heal? There’s hardly any water for bathing, and when it rains, sewage floods through the encampments, the so-called “safe zones” they put us in.
And now, I have only one family member left. My little brother, Nabil, who’s five. Somehow, he made it out alive, almost untouched. It’s like a miracle, they say, that he was pulled from the rubble with barely a scratch, just covered in dust, his big eyes staring out in shock. He doesn’t talk much anymore. Sometimes he just stares into space, clutching onto me as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear too. I don’t even know where the rest of our family is – if they’re alive, if they’re somewhere far away, displaced like so many others, or if they’re gone too. I have no way to find them, no way to even reach out.
Strangers have been kind to us, feeding us from the little they have. People here have nothing, yet somehow, they still find a way to share what’s left. I see them slipping a piece of bread into my brother’s hand or bringing us blankets at night. It’s the only warmth we have left – the kindness of those who have lost just as much, who know that if we don’t look after each other, there will be nothing left.
There’s another truth we face here every day – the fact that children like us are not just being killed by bombs. I’ve heard the doctors talk about it, the American doctors who came here and saw it for themselves. They’ve written to President Biden, pleading with him, sharing what they saw with their own eyes. They’ve testified that children as young as toddlers are being deliberately targeted by Israeli snipers. They see us, children, shot with high-velocity sniper bullets, bullets that hit exactly on the forehead, the side of the head, or right over the heart. And these snipers are known for their skill; they don’t miss by accident. When you see so many children hit with this kind of precision, it’s clear – they are aiming to kill us.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS THE POWER TO STOP TRUMP.
EVEN THOUGH TRUMP WON THE ELECTION.
But what is wrong with our democratic leaders.
Who say that:
"We will have a peaceful transfer of power"
WHILE THEY INSTALL A FASCIST DICTATOR TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES.??????
LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE DOING!!!!!.
Trump said that he will arrest anyone who has disagreed with him because they are the enemies within.
My GOD
IF TRUMP IS NOT STOPPED NOW, WE WILL BE A FASCIST DICTATORSHIP FOR DECADES.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS THE POWER TO STOP TRUMP.
Biden gained special powers when Trumps compromised judges on the Supreme Court, gave the office of the presidency the powers to make Trump immune from being prosecuted for any crimes he committed and any crimes he wants to commit while in office again.
Biden can use these powers the same as Trump can.
Under the charge of TREASON, Biden must Immediately use his power to remove Trumps corrupted judges off the Supreme Court and remove all traitors in Congress who supported Trumps violent insurrection attempt to take control of the country.
BUT after January 20 2025, there will never be another chance to stop Trump again.
This is the last chance we have to stop the dictatorial takeover of the United States.
The United States Constitution states that
"The punishment for treason is a minimum of five years in prison, a fine of at least $10,000, and the loss of the right to hold public office."
So why is this NOT happening?
(IF YOU AGREE THEN PLEASE RELAY THIS MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN AND RE-POST)
How about the Who’s Won’t Get Fooled Again. You know, Meet the New Boss, Same as the Old Boss. I know it hurts. I’m grieving. But we have to face the facts. We liberals are better than this. But America as we know it IS NOT! There is still too much racism, misogyny, and homophobia in America as the reason our New Boss is the same as the Old Boss.
TRUMP won the presidency.
Why?
Because Trump supporters have passed nearly 100 voter suppression laws.
At least 30 states enacted 78 restrictive laws, at least 63 of which are set to be in effect in 29 states in time for the 2024 election.
Those 78 restrictive voting laws account for over two-thirds of all restrictive laws enacted since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.
President Biden has the power to stop Trump.
BUT after January 20 2025, (about 70 days from now.) There will never be another chance to stop Trump again.
Biden gained special powers when Trumps corrupted judges, gave the office of the presidency the powers to make Trump immune to being prosecuted for any crimes he committed and any crimes he wants to commit while in office again.
Biden can use these powers the same as Trump can, that Trump said he will do.
Biden must Immediately utilize his power to remove Trumps corrupted judges off of the Supreme Court bench for treason.
He must immediately remove all traitors in Congress for treason, who supported Trumps insurrection attempt to take permanent control over the United States.
This is the last chance we have to stop the dictatorial Takeover of the United States.
"The United States Constitution states that
"The punishment for treason is a minimum of five years in prison, a fine of at least $10,000, and the loss of the right to hold public office."
So why is this NOT happening????
We are heading straight for a fascist dictatorship.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures or the United States will lose its AMERICAN FREEDOM TITLE FOREVER.
(Please Re-post and send to President Biden)
TRUMP won the presidency.
Why?
Because Trump supporters have passed nearly 100 voter suppression laws.
At least 30 states enacted 78 restrictive laws, at least 63 of which are set to be in effect in 29 states in time for the 2024 election.
Those 78 restrictive voting laws account for over two-thirds of all restrictive laws enacted since the Supreme Court gutted the Voting Rights Act.
President Biden has the power to stop Trump.
BUT after January 20 2025, (about 70 days from now.) There will never be another chance to stop Trump again.
Biden gained special powers when Trumps corrupted judges, gave the office of the presidency the powers to make Trump immune to being prosecuted for any crimes he committed and any crimes he wants to commit while in office.
Biden can use these powers the same as Trump can, which Trump said he will do.
Biden must Immediately remove the corrupted judges off of the Supreme Court for treason.
He must immediately remove all traitors in Congress for treason, who supported Trumps insurrection attempt to take permanent control over the United States.
This is the last chance we have to stop the dictatorial Takeover of the United States.
"The United States Constitution states that
"The punishment for treason is a minimum of five years in prison, a fine of at least $10,000, and the loss of the right to hold public office."
So why is this NOT happening????
We are heading straight for a fascist dictatorship.
Desperate times calls for desperate measures.
Or the United States will lose its AMERICAN FREEDOM TITLE FOREVER.
(Please Re-post and send to President Biden)
Thanks Michael, needed for Nov 6th.