Yours is one of the few Substacks worth supporting because it does not shy away from holding oneself and one's own Party accountable for how we treat others. Through two parties and a steady diet of partisan stooging, America built and tolerated a government that now treats most of the nation and its citizens poorly.
Corbin, I am a former twice elected state candidate, Director of the Bureau of Land Management under Clinton, Mayor of Albuquerque, and New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee. I know for a fact everything you say is true. Especially in the Federal Government where I was told not to upset the oil boys, mining boys, cow boys and other natural resource users. Keep speaking the truth. And after posting this today, I got this from a friend. " It is wise. "An accurate assessment of how we got here and further evidence of why it is so distressing to read or listen to "the news." Having done time as a lawyer in private practice, academia, and government, I've seen a great deal of change in the profession since leaving law school in 1972. Private law firms reflect the same evolution described in the article. Small firms were acquired by ever larger firms, young lawyers are evaluated primarily by the generation of "billable hours," and who knows what will emerge in the world of AI. At 81 years of age there is not much I can do about all this. So, I try to make all the doctor appointments on time, make sure the house and garden are maintained, try not to irritate my wife too frequently, and take the dog for his regular walk."
I remember you! You were one of the very few who spoke up for Wild Horses quite a few years ago. (probably no one on this blog is even aware of the issue)
What you tried to do for one of our "natural resources" (Wild Horses) was and is much appreciated.
Doubt there is anyone remaining in government now that cares in the least.
Obviously, this is far off the current subject, but had to comment when I saw your name.
Thank you— this is a brilliant overview of how we got to this present moment, along with a roadmap for the reconstruction of our democracy. This is very hopeful!
Agree, but we need to go deeper. Yes, the justices went to Ivy league schools, but were/are selected by Presidents from primarily elite schools, approved by Senators from primarily elite schools. The root cause is we have accepted that the only people capable of leading our country in any of the three branches, state and local offices must be lawyers and doctors, or some other upper class distinction. In the beginning it was white land owners. There was/is no such constitutional or otherwise logical requirement. The only real requirement is common sense, intelligence, and a commitment to serve the people, period. Only when the people stop looking for leaders with a bunch of nonsensical alphabet behind their names, whenever we can examine root causes will we be able to reconstruct the system. Certainly we can first elect representatives who may have credentials, but they must also accept changing the system will deconstruct their privilege as well.
100% agree that the leaders of this country are out of touch with everyday people and there should be more everyday people in positions of leadership. The challenge is that the system is designed to make it as hard as possible for everyday people to participate in a meaningful way. We are hoping to change that.
So much truth here—AND—I believe this actually goes back to the “founding” of the nation; not only the past 50 years. Until a large enough group of people is willing to grapple with the origins of something (a word, a school’s mission, a statue, a city’s plan, a nation) we aren’t being honest or even seeing enough of the picture to understand the problem.
The truth is this country was founded on stealing land, genocide, and slavery.
Those things are now baked into its structure.
So how do we turn the ship in the direction of justice? We learn this and acknowledge it. And the colonizers were working with a system of capitalism which was being newly developed in Europe. Look to the truth of how THAT system was created, the domination of the land, the people, and especially women, and you begin to understand a much deeper, more complex, and sinister tale.
It’s about time somebody said the word “capitalism”. Capitalism without regulation is like a two-year-old without a diaper … or like cancer in the human body.
Corbin, just signed up. Are you communicating directly with the many "progressive" candidates that are running? Are they responding to your analysis, especially the need to form alliances around the only sane program(s) that you outline??
Imagine being told America is “too broken to fix” by the same crowd who broke it for profit, then invoiced us for the cleanup.
They say we’ve hit rock bottom, but I’m not so sure. Rock bottom implies something solid to stand on. Right now, it feels more like quicksand made of lobbyists and Supreme Court rulings.
Why are there so few voices like your's? That is a fact that depresses me to no end. What you outline is what we all urgently need and yet no one wants to think or feel about it. I am with you...
Let's draft our own Declaration of Independence, a pledge that draws from CT's pledge but is genuinely our own. Then, let's commit to each other to fight for it and to follow through with as many national shutdowns of our making as it takes to achieve it.
Yours is one of the few Substacks worth supporting because it does not shy away from holding oneself and one's own Party accountable for how we treat others. Through two parties and a steady diet of partisan stooging, America built and tolerated a government that now treats most of the nation and its citizens poorly.
Stunning piece of communication, Corbin! I'm with you all the way.
Thanks!
Corbin, I am a former twice elected state candidate, Director of the Bureau of Land Management under Clinton, Mayor of Albuquerque, and New Mexico Natural Resources Trustee. I know for a fact everything you say is true. Especially in the Federal Government where I was told not to upset the oil boys, mining boys, cow boys and other natural resource users. Keep speaking the truth. And after posting this today, I got this from a friend. " It is wise. "An accurate assessment of how we got here and further evidence of why it is so distressing to read or listen to "the news." Having done time as a lawyer in private practice, academia, and government, I've seen a great deal of change in the profession since leaving law school in 1972. Private law firms reflect the same evolution described in the article. Small firms were acquired by ever larger firms, young lawyers are evaluated primarily by the generation of "billable hours," and who knows what will emerge in the world of AI. At 81 years of age there is not much I can do about all this. So, I try to make all the doctor appointments on time, make sure the house and garden are maintained, try not to irritate my wife too frequently, and take the dog for his regular walk."
I remember you! You were one of the very few who spoke up for Wild Horses quite a few years ago. (probably no one on this blog is even aware of the issue)
What you tried to do for one of our "natural resources" (Wild Horses) was and is much appreciated.
Doubt there is anyone remaining in government now that cares in the least.
Obviously, this is far off the current subject, but had to comment when I saw your name.
Thank you— this is a brilliant overview of how we got to this present moment, along with a roadmap for the reconstruction of our democracy. This is very hopeful!
This is a remarkable clarification of the Trump world we live in.Thank you for placing our disastrous situation in perspective.
Agree, but we need to go deeper. Yes, the justices went to Ivy league schools, but were/are selected by Presidents from primarily elite schools, approved by Senators from primarily elite schools. The root cause is we have accepted that the only people capable of leading our country in any of the three branches, state and local offices must be lawyers and doctors, or some other upper class distinction. In the beginning it was white land owners. There was/is no such constitutional or otherwise logical requirement. The only real requirement is common sense, intelligence, and a commitment to serve the people, period. Only when the people stop looking for leaders with a bunch of nonsensical alphabet behind their names, whenever we can examine root causes will we be able to reconstruct the system. Certainly we can first elect representatives who may have credentials, but they must also accept changing the system will deconstruct their privilege as well.
100% agree that the leaders of this country are out of touch with everyday people and there should be more everyday people in positions of leadership. The challenge is that the system is designed to make it as hard as possible for everyday people to participate in a meaningful way. We are hoping to change that.
Deliberate prohibitively difficult. Im mad as hell.
This is exactly it. You hit the nail on the head with your message here.
So much truth here—AND—I believe this actually goes back to the “founding” of the nation; not only the past 50 years. Until a large enough group of people is willing to grapple with the origins of something (a word, a school’s mission, a statue, a city’s plan, a nation) we aren’t being honest or even seeing enough of the picture to understand the problem.
The truth is this country was founded on stealing land, genocide, and slavery.
Those things are now baked into its structure.
So how do we turn the ship in the direction of justice? We learn this and acknowledge it. And the colonizers were working with a system of capitalism which was being newly developed in Europe. Look to the truth of how THAT system was created, the domination of the land, the people, and especially women, and you begin to understand a much deeper, more complex, and sinister tale.
It’s about time somebody said the word “capitalism”. Capitalism without regulation is like a two-year-old without a diaper … or like cancer in the human body.
Corbin, just signed up. Are you communicating directly with the many "progressive" candidates that are running? Are they responding to your analysis, especially the need to form alliances around the only sane program(s) that you outline??
Imagine being told America is “too broken to fix” by the same crowd who broke it for profit, then invoiced us for the cleanup.
They say we’ve hit rock bottom, but I’m not so sure. Rock bottom implies something solid to stand on. Right now, it feels more like quicksand made of lobbyists and Supreme Court rulings.
Together we can build the foundation to rise from. More to come!
You better because whats stirring below the surface is looking for a fissure.
You are doing really good work! Please keep it up.
Well Said !! and you are so Right....
We need to be restocking every one of Corbin’s posts!
Yes! Thank you!
This is brilliant! Difficult to hear but very on topic. Thank you for this!
Why are there so few voices like your's? That is a fact that depresses me to no end. What you outline is what we all urgently need and yet no one wants to think or feel about it. I am with you...
Let's draft our own Declaration of Independence, a pledge that draws from CT's pledge but is genuinely our own. Then, let's commit to each other to fight for it and to follow through with as many national shutdowns of our making as it takes to achieve it.