I haven’t suffered as you have, but I see that orange paint for what he is and has always been and I am not sleeping either. Grief, rage, nameless fear for tomorrow. It’s all there. Keep speaking up. You’re not alone
It was brave of you to share your story. I have other friends who feel the same way about the Orange Blob. He reminds them of an abusive, narcissistic parent. But then I know other people who have suffered abuse, and they LIKE him. I don't get that. I grew up around narcissistic people, and his behavior triggers me too. I'm glad you are not suppressing your voice. We all need to speak out.
I don't get that. How anyone could like him after experiencing any kind of abuse. He's so "nasty"--to quote he himself. So sad to see so many duped by this con-artist.
You are amazing and we stand together. I knew I was drawn to you for a reason. I have so much in common with you, things that I've never said out loud. Since my mom and husband died within a year of each other nine years ago, I've been finding myself again. It's hard to talk about abuse when there were no marks, but I alway though that people saw me the way he said I was and just stayed to myself.
But with my son, who kind of knew what was happening and now knows most of it, has been standing beside me pushing me to stand again. Always telling me that I am worth it. Just as everything was brightening up 45/47 happened. The thing is I feel the way I did back before I was married and I ain't going back.
It is a really tough time - I also felt horror when I discovered that they are planning on taking down the parks - then I read this this morning - "The Trump administration is seeking to cancel the leases for 34 National Park Service buildings, including visitor centers, law enforcement offices and museums that house millions of artifacts" -now we know why they fired so many of the park personel - then they can go about their evil business un-seen. The toll on farmers has already hit us plus tarriffs will raise the price of feed and gas something terrible. Petroleum is a huge expense with farm machinery. The parts etc. Seed. (shakes head).
At the moment I am trying to manage the finances of my own farm from afar and already things are not adding up.
Thank you for a great newsletter. And yes - I am so so sad.
As I was reading this article I kept wondering, why engage with all the drama of politics if it affects you so negatively - I don’t have the same issues that you had growing up (I can’t even imagine how horrid that would be) but not even I can handle the political drama- I keep needing to take at least 1-2 month ‘political detox’ months a couple of times a year where I remove every hint of politics from my life just to breath again.
Like I said, it's like a car crash I can't look away from. But also, I was recently exposed to a couple of Jewish folks who talked about their belief that keeping tabs on current events both locally and globally is their obligation and for whatever reason that really resonated with me.
I want to be an informed citizen. And I don't want to be one who is condemning anyone due to ignorance. I always want to be fair and just, and I am of the mind that the best way to serve my community is to be aware of what's going on.
But yes, I need to be mindful of my own limits and well-being, too. 🙏
It IS our obligation to stay informed with so much at stake. I understand stepping away for self preservation but this is OUR country and worth fighting for with everything we have.
Thank you for sharing; reliving the past in our own minds in order to share with others, is an act of personal heroism.
maga is NOT taking our public lands and squandering the irreplaceable.
And also, as stated in the Declaration of Independence (and highlighted in the clip I shared from the movie National Treasure): "When there's something wrong, those with the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action."
Following the ongoing saga is part of my own personal effort to take action in the name of this great nation.
We may be floundering right now, but maybe we can yet overcome, rebuild trust with our friends and allies, and be the America our forefathers envisioned for us.
I stand by your side. I join you in your resistance.
And I deeply respect and applaud your decision to speak openly and frankly about the very real threats facing this nation--INCLUDING AND ESPECIALLY the environmental impacts.
And, tragically, to the looming threat to every women in this country--to our fundamental right to bodily autonomy.
To our very personhood.
What was done to Teresa Borrenpohl is deeply personal for me, not least because of my own history with physical and sexual assault.
I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest; I lived for fifteen years of my adult life in the Inland Northwest, the region of eastern Washington and Oregon that, climatically (and unfortunately ideologically), is nearly indistinguishable from Idaho.
Part of my family's presence in that broader region dates to just post-Civil War. One of my 2nd great-grandfathers was awarded a land grant for his service to the Union as a wounded veteran.
We Bradfords arrived on this continent in Plymouth Colony, on the Mayflower, and migrated our way across the continent over the centuries. So by now, I have a foot planted on each coast.
But that Inland Northwest region, east of the Cascade Range, has become--or remained--deeply conservative, and not a sensible, thoughtful, intellectual, or pragmatic conservatism, rooted in respect for equality or respect for Constitutional and/or fundamental human rights for everyone.
Instead, it is an incubator and petri dish for white supremacy and other domestic terror organizations, implacably opposed to any woman even possessing personhood.
They hate pretty much everybody who isn't white, male, and a sufficiently "masculine" adherent of their weird mash-up of christo-fascist beliefs.
But they particularly hate women for doing or saying anything except silently obeying their edicts and producing their offspring.
And they don't even respect us for doing that. From their perspective, that's just our sole purpose for existence: as silent, obedient breeders.
For fifteen years of my adult married life, I watched (and supported) highly-qualified progressive friends run for state and national office as representatives from eastern Washington.
They were objectively far more qualified than their republican opponents, but they still lost.
They lost, over and over again, to the same types of people who still exhibit that same contempt for Constitutional rights so horrifically demonstrated in that high school gymnasium near Coeur d'Alene on February 22, 2025.
This is what we are facing. This (and worse) is the future of ALL women in this country if we don't collectively stand together now and decisively put a stop to their stated intent to end our very personhood.
They intend to rape us ("your body; my choice"), and to rape our land.
We have to stop them. There is no negotiating with that. We have to simply put a stop to it.
Prayers do not bother me at all. It's about the sentiment and intention behind them, and I appreciate that.
So glad to have you standing beside me, Dean. This is not an easy life and things just go more smoothly when we all work together and support one another.
This was very brave. You're seen and heard. And anyone who unsubscribes is not your people.
That was the conclusion I came to as well. Thank you, Tanja! I appreciate you!
Trump is an arsonist like your mom, he has set fire to our nation. The question will be whether we have enough collective willpower to put it out.
Thank you for sharing and I hope you can find some peace ❤️
Amen, sister.
I haven’t suffered as you have, but I see that orange paint for what he is and has always been and I am not sleeping either. Grief, rage, nameless fear for tomorrow. It’s all there. Keep speaking up. You’re not alone
Thank you, Sandra--I'm glad to know I'm not the only one feeling this way.
It was brave of you to share your story. I have other friends who feel the same way about the Orange Blob. He reminds them of an abusive, narcissistic parent. But then I know other people who have suffered abuse, and they LIKE him. I don't get that. I grew up around narcissistic people, and his behavior triggers me too. I'm glad you are not suppressing your voice. We all need to speak out.
I don't get that. How anyone could like him after experiencing any kind of abuse. He's so "nasty"--to quote he himself. So sad to see so many duped by this con-artist.
Thanks for the support, Doreen!
I don't get it either, especially the women. Stockholm Syndrome?
You are amazing and we stand together. I knew I was drawn to you for a reason. I have so much in common with you, things that I've never said out loud. Since my mom and husband died within a year of each other nine years ago, I've been finding myself again. It's hard to talk about abuse when there were no marks, but I alway though that people saw me the way he said I was and just stayed to myself.
But with my son, who kind of knew what was happening and now knows most of it, has been standing beside me pushing me to stand again. Always telling me that I am worth it. Just as everything was brightening up 45/47 happened. The thing is I feel the way I did back before I was married and I ain't going back.
Thank you, Karen!
I know I certainly never want to go back "in the box"--so to speak. Life is much better as my free and authentic self.
Stay strong, my friend!🙌
I felt it the first admin because I left my abusive marriage right after the election.
It is a really tough time - I also felt horror when I discovered that they are planning on taking down the parks - then I read this this morning - "The Trump administration is seeking to cancel the leases for 34 National Park Service buildings, including visitor centers, law enforcement offices and museums that house millions of artifacts" -now we know why they fired so many of the park personel - then they can go about their evil business un-seen. The toll on farmers has already hit us plus tarriffs will raise the price of feed and gas something terrible. Petroleum is a huge expense with farm machinery. The parts etc. Seed. (shakes head).
At the moment I am trying to manage the finances of my own farm from afar and already things are not adding up.
Thank you for a great newsletter. And yes - I am so so sad.
As I was reading this article I kept wondering, why engage with all the drama of politics if it affects you so negatively - I don’t have the same issues that you had growing up (I can’t even imagine how horrid that would be) but not even I can handle the political drama- I keep needing to take at least 1-2 month ‘political detox’ months a couple of times a year where I remove every hint of politics from my life just to breath again.
Like I said, it's like a car crash I can't look away from. But also, I was recently exposed to a couple of Jewish folks who talked about their belief that keeping tabs on current events both locally and globally is their obligation and for whatever reason that really resonated with me.
I want to be an informed citizen. And I don't want to be one who is condemning anyone due to ignorance. I always want to be fair and just, and I am of the mind that the best way to serve my community is to be aware of what's going on.
But yes, I need to be mindful of my own limits and well-being, too. 🙏
It IS our obligation to stay informed with so much at stake. I understand stepping away for self preservation but this is OUR country and worth fighting for with everything we have.
Thank you for sharing; reliving the past in our own minds in order to share with others, is an act of personal heroism.
maga is NOT taking our public lands and squandering the irreplaceable.
I stand with you!!!
Thank you, Patisu!
Only when the last tree is cut down, the last fish eaten, and the last stream poisoned, will ypu realize that you cannot eat money.
And also, as stated in the Declaration of Independence (and highlighted in the clip I shared from the movie National Treasure): "When there's something wrong, those with the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action."
Following the ongoing saga is part of my own personal effort to take action in the name of this great nation.
We may be floundering right now, but maybe we can yet overcome, rebuild trust with our friends and allies, and be the America our forefathers envisioned for us.
I stand by your side. I join you in your resistance.
And I deeply respect and applaud your decision to speak openly and frankly about the very real threats facing this nation--INCLUDING AND ESPECIALLY the environmental impacts.
And, tragically, to the looming threat to every women in this country--to our fundamental right to bodily autonomy.
To our very personhood.
What was done to Teresa Borrenpohl is deeply personal for me, not least because of my own history with physical and sexual assault.
I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest; I lived for fifteen years of my adult life in the Inland Northwest, the region of eastern Washington and Oregon that, climatically (and unfortunately ideologically), is nearly indistinguishable from Idaho.
Part of my family's presence in that broader region dates to just post-Civil War. One of my 2nd great-grandfathers was awarded a land grant for his service to the Union as a wounded veteran.
We Bradfords arrived on this continent in Plymouth Colony, on the Mayflower, and migrated our way across the continent over the centuries. So by now, I have a foot planted on each coast.
But that Inland Northwest region, east of the Cascade Range, has become--or remained--deeply conservative, and not a sensible, thoughtful, intellectual, or pragmatic conservatism, rooted in respect for equality or respect for Constitutional and/or fundamental human rights for everyone.
Instead, it is an incubator and petri dish for white supremacy and other domestic terror organizations, implacably opposed to any woman even possessing personhood.
They hate pretty much everybody who isn't white, male, and a sufficiently "masculine" adherent of their weird mash-up of christo-fascist beliefs.
But they particularly hate women for doing or saying anything except silently obeying their edicts and producing their offspring.
And they don't even respect us for doing that. From their perspective, that's just our sole purpose for existence: as silent, obedient breeders.
For fifteen years of my adult married life, I watched (and supported) highly-qualified progressive friends run for state and national office as representatives from eastern Washington.
They were objectively far more qualified than their republican opponents, but they still lost.
They lost, over and over again, to the same types of people who still exhibit that same contempt for Constitutional rights so horrifically demonstrated in that high school gymnasium near Coeur d'Alene on February 22, 2025.
This is what we are facing. This (and worse) is the future of ALL women in this country if we don't collectively stand together now and decisively put a stop to their stated intent to end our very personhood.
They intend to rape us ("your body; my choice"), and to rape our land.
We have to stop them. There is no negotiating with that. We have to simply put a stop to it.
Thank you for sharing this, Elle!
I, for one, do not intend to let them just have their way. Thanks for standing with me.
I don't either. I'm just getting started.
Take care, Sam. Keeping you in my prayers and thoughts 💙🙏💫
Thank you very much! I appreciate that!🙏
Prayers do not bother me at all. It's about the sentiment and intention behind them, and I appreciate that.
So glad to have you standing beside me, Dean. This is not an easy life and things just go more smoothly when we all work together and support one another.
Thanks for being here.
"Viscerally" is the perfect word for it, too. Thank you, JT!