Do you remember watching your first real magic show, the audience in full awe with their mouths agape and the inevitable “How did they do that?” echoing throughout the room?  A great magician seems to float with charisma, endowed with some enigmatic power to defy the laws of gravity and reality, doing things we mere mortals cannot.

At some point, rational thinking returns, and we recognize that the magician’s success depends on their ability to deceive us.  They have no superpowers.  We begin to see how they use distraction through hand movements and gobbledygook to keep us from seeing what’s really happening.

Donald Trump is a colossally failing magician.  His illusion of power has been exposed, and we see how incredibly weak he truly is.  Grossly lacking in intelligence and experience to lead our country through even minor challenges, when we faced dealing with climate change and a pandemic, he chose hocus pocus.

"The establishment of our new Government seemed to be the last great experiment for promoting human happiness."

George Washington, January 9, 1790

 (Hold your breath George, we might have to shelve this quote).

  Is there any other continent or country in the world like this one? The answer is/was no. For whatever reason, the forces of the Universe conspired to create a meeting place of Indigenous Peoples, invaders, enslaved people, immigrants, treasure hunters, humanitarians, and thieves of all makes and models. Our history is neither all good nor all bad; it is the story of diverse people with diverse purposes sharing space. Some days, we got it right. Let’s hope in 2024 we don’t get it tragically wrong.

With the walls closing in, Trump's rhetoric is increasingly bombastic and hyperbolic. That doesn't mean we should ignore it. His recent comments mirroring Nazi propaganda and invoking dictatorship reinforce the magnitude of this election. How do we respond? This article from The Message Box, a newsletter about political and message strategy by former Obama advisor Dan Pfeiffer, offers expert advice.

Where to begin? November was a hectic month – canvassing started in both Roseville and Lincoln. Planning and reservations began for our December 13, 2023, Winter Solstice holiday party and fundraiser! The CADEM Endorsement Convention provided controversy and demonstration on the Cease Fire in Gaza issue and the vital work of selecting endorsed candidates. Two local Democrats were endorsed, so congratulations are due to Jessica Morse in CD3 and Neva Parker in AD5.

Jessica Morse, a Placer County native, has officially thrown her hat in the ring for California’s 3rd Congressional District, the most geographically diverse in California. She states the residents of Placer County deserve a representative who works with us and for us, especially in support of women’s reproductive rights. To her, this is critical as the seat is currently held by Kevin Kiley, who has maintained an anti-choice record and, if re-elected, would be the deciding vote against women’s interests.
 
She believes VOTERS WANT:

This year's CADEM Endorsing Convention will be remembered for more than its convention business. We asked our Placer delegates to share their impressions and photos of the conference.

Enjoy our snapshots of the many activities and events at this year’s Endorsing Convention in Sacramento.

Weaponizing Lies to Spin a War, Kill Democracy…and Only God Knows What Else

Myra Jolivet, SMPS

And now — in the midst of a war between Gaza militants and Israel, when people around the world are desperate to know what’s happening — Elon Musk has personally recommended that users follow accounts notorious for promoting lies. “For following the war in real-time, @WarMonitors & @sentdefender are good,” Musk posted Sunday.

Good?

Editor’s note: this summary continues the series based on author and history professor Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny.” The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom, and forecast to those who have not read his works.

BE CALM WHEN THE UNTHINKABLE ARRIVES

 “Modern tyranny is terror management…” used with precision by Adolf Hitler. The German nation elected him and then created chaos and artificial threats to his nation to consolidate his power. He convinced his people this was “for their own good.”

 Snyder states Hitler’s tactics were the “archetype of terror management.” 

November is traditionally focused on Veterans Day and Thanksgiving, but my message this month has to do with that “other” activity – our democracy and Elections.  Yes, the 2024 Presidential election is one year away, but there is another much less recognized election coming up as part of the Primary Election on March 5, 2024.  Have you ever wondered how people get on the Central Committees? Let me outline it for you!
 

As noted in previous newsletters, our PCDP Communications Committee will share a monthly message on the issues we confront in Placer County.

The American Dream – that enigmatic hope for a successful future we imagine our children will be able to attain.  We love, feed, house, and guide our children, but much of their future depends on the interactions they have when we are not around.  We depend on our public school system to provide our children with the skills they will need to succeed in an ever-increasingly complex world.  Young minds will need to develop a strong understanding of earth sciences, history, cooperation, and technology to face the challenges ahead.

The March 5, 2024, Primary Election may still be four months away, but there’s no time like the present to reach out to voters and secure their pledge to vote.

We’re asking you to step up—literally. The key to winning elections is voter turnout, especially by our younger voters. Getting voters to pledge to vote, and then following up with a self-addressed reminder card can increase a percentage and be the difference between victory or defeat.

I attended a recent meeting of the Placer Hills Union School District. The agenda included an item titled “Board Requested time to discuss AB1314, HR 1585.” A quick look revealed that these bills seek to force teachers and counselors to inform parents if their student exhibits any signs of identifying with anything other than their “gender assigned at birth.” AKA forced outing of students by school staff.
 
There were approximately eight people who spoke against the district supporting these bills. These speakers included community members such as myself, a high school student, and several teachers and counselors who work for the district. There were no speakers in support of these bills.
 
Tired tropes
The board member who spoke in support of these bills, Ray Lawrence, brought out some tired tropes in support of these bills. He insisted that parents should have access to everything in the student's official file (they already do). The fact that other board members cited exact language negating the need for these bills did not dissuade Lawrence as he continued to insist that the district consider supporting these bills.

Editor’s note: this summary continues the series based on author and history professor Timothy Snyder’s book “On Tyranny”. The goal is to pass on his insights, wisdom, and forecast to those who have not read his works.

 Snyder asks, “What is patriotism”?  In his examples of what is not patriotic, he suggests “It is not patriotic to ask those working, taxpaying American families to finance one’s own presidential campaign, and then to spend their contributions in one’s own companies.” I’m sure you know who immediately came to my mind.

The other side thinks they are winning. They think they have the momentum. Those who support policies that would harm transgender, and gender non-conforming youth are becoming increasingly emboldened. At the recent Dry Creek Joint Elementary School District board meeting, “Proud Boy” Jeffrey Perrine received a round of applause from the audience after speaking on the district’s parental notification policy. That board then went on to unanimously approve their policy to “out” students who want to be themselves at school, without any board discussion on the policy. No explanation for why it was on the agenda; no justification for why the policy was needed. Two school boards in Placer County now have policies that explicitly target and harm LGBTQ+ students. The other school boards are watching, and the other side is pressuring them to adopt these policies.

Freedom from religious persecution was of such importance to the creators of our country that they enshrined the 1st Amendment to our Constitution to afford each of us total individual rights to religious choice.  Americans deeply cherish this uniquely democratic right.  On 9/11, when religious terrorists attacked our country, we all came together to recover and to repair our nation.  We denounced these atrocious acts as unrepresentative of any religious doctrines, and recognized these were purely acts of violence and hate, trying to hide under the cover of religion.

Today, in Placer County, we are under attack again by religious extremists.