Having a Normal One

Having a Normal One

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A new year's message from Jimmy Carter

A new year's message from Jimmy Carter

"The combined wisdom and courage and commitment and discernment and unselfishness and compassion and love and idealism of the common ordinary people."

A car turns at a T-junction on a snowy evening in Madison, Wisconsin.

Five—count ’em, five—real ideas for last-minute gifts

Because this newsletter is here to serve.

The stump left over after city arborists had to take down the large old tree on the boulevard in front of our house.

Guns and the folks in charge and the limits of voting.

We just had another school shooting, but "safety concerns among executives are so widespread, New York State may create a special hotline just for CEOs to call in threats."

A white and orange cat watching city workers through a window as they take down a tree on the terrace.

I don't think they should invite this guy to a football game.

Even if a killing were a mistake, we shouldn't celebrate it.

Sting, Bono, and Simon Le Bon of Duran Duran recording "Do They Know It's Christmas?" in 1984.

I have a favorite Christmas song, it turns out.

"This little pop song has kept hundreds of thousands if not millions of people alive."

Screenshot of NYT updates by Shawn Hubler on December 9 at http://bit.ly/49xqeSW

Two links about the healthcare CEO murder suspect.

Mangione is not a leftist hero or a MAGA guy or an incel or out of his mind.

A watercolor painting by an 8-year-old of a green branch with purple flowers, rain, and a blue dragonfly.

Josh's LiveJournal I Guess

An essay you should read, and some stuff about that survey.

Plus: a new feature.

A brown tabby cat on a carpeted landing.

A story in which a health insurer is not the bad guy.

Not this time, at least.

An old married man cuddles with an orange cat while he types on his laptop (the man, not the cat).

This may be the last newsletter you receive from me.

Contact Julia about getting your money back.

An orange and white cat focused on a television show about insects.

In which my heroic efforts come to naught

Some days just drop in on us.

Three kids at a scenic overlook in Los Angeles with the Hollywood sign in the background.

There are no turkeys here. There is only gratitude.

In the face of daunting challenges, we remain thankful and unbowed.

A girl with a ponytail looks at giraffes, outdoor in a zoo, in Southern California.

I don't want to only feel safe when our side is in charge.

Plus: "The worm knows where it's going."

An orange tabby cat in a blue laundry basket filled with clothes on top of a white dryer.

Hello and farewell

(Until the morrow.)

An orange cat on a park bench in a side yard covered with fallen autumn leaves.

If you need something insane to read, this should do the trick.

Make sure to keep going till the part about the video of the taillight.

An orange and white cat yawning.

Paid-members only

Hey, I have a request for you.

A small flock of wild turkeys in front of Hobby Lobby on the east side of Madison.

Do not lose sight of how stupid and unfair all of this is.

Life and politics are full of nuance, but sometimes it's not that complicated.

Covers of the 16 music albums from which the playlist's 17 tracks are taken.

Turn down the treble. Drop the bass.

Silver Martian Music, available to the public for the first time.

A young white and orange cat lying atop a cat tree next to a window with the shade drawn.

People truly hate Matt Gaetz, but it might not matter.

"There are pools of vomit with more to offer," says one fellow conservative.

Three children standing at the edge of a river near a footbridge, with ducks floating in the water as the sun sets.

The reason this newsletter has been so late, lately

And why Trump doesn't care if his deportation machine is expensive and janky.

A photo of the church parking lot over the fence behind our house, and the houses next to it.

Why are Republicans saying they'll deport 15 million immigrants?

And what would happen if we did?

A brown and black tabby cat stands on a blue kitchen chair, looking down at an orange and white kitten.

Conspiracy theories aren't necessary to explain why Kamala lost

It wouldn't surprise me if we found out that Republicans had stolen the election someday, but they probably didn't.

Post-election, pre-inauguration reading material

A few links about how to prepare for what lies ahead.

A pink Harris-Walz 2024 campaign sign reading "Madam President (and Tim!)"

Mistakes have been made

I don't think we're wrong about the fascism, but it doesn't matter if you're right, if people are tuning you out.

Hey, folks

It's pretty scary right now, if you were hoping for a quick and decisive Harris victory. I was. All the smart people I enjoy reading on the internet said the polls seemed like they might be wrong, and it looks like the polls were actually very accurate. This

Donald Trump wearing far too much spray tan on his face.

If Trump loses as predicted, it's because he did it to himself

You can't get good volunteers if the people coordinating your phone-banking are all alsp scammers using your name to try to make a quick buck.