...patriotic Americans who love this country because of the freedoms it guarantees to its citizens, and for providing life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in a way that no where else in the world does, have to sit and watch it be dismantled, while it seems that there isn't anyone in a position of power, who swore an oath to protect and defend the Constitution, who is doing everything they can to legally try to get this demagogue out of the White House.

I deeply appreciate some individuals in the media who have become the unlikely, but most prolific and accurate defenders of the America that most of us know and love, and want back. I'm going to give credit to them, because they are among the few who are still carrying this torch, and who don't appear to be backing down in the face of this fascist attack and this grifting, corrupt, demented dictator in the White House.

A lot of people think of Stephanie Miller as political comedy, more than political commentary, and in spite of everything that is happening, she has kept up the ability to laugh at things, when appropriate, and when that is the way to handle something that just can't be handled any other way. In addition to telling the truth, and putting things in their exact and correct perspective, she brings a measure of sanity and lightheartedness to what is becoming a really bad time. Every day that I turn the radio on, and hear her show start up on my way to work, is a day of assurance that free speech still exists and I know I am going to hear something I need to hear to get through the rest of the day.

Thom Hartmann is a serious commentator who doesn't soft-pedal the bad news and who, through the wide variety of people who call in and comment on his program, tells it like it is. It's bad news, here's exactly what is happening, no exaggeration, that's the way it is, and here is what we can realistically do about it. If some of our political leadership on the left had taken seriously the comments they've heard him make, along with the backing of those in his audience who are the people out here in that experience, they might actually be taking a few more risks to protect what we have before we do lose it all. There are those with the power to take this away from us, and they are doing it, and knowing that should be motivation to take the steps we need to take to stop it. Thom's not afraid to let people say what's on their mind, and from that, understand there are possibilities and we have hope.

When my alarm goes off at 6:00 a.m., the radio stays on and tuned in to Richard Chew on Chicago's WCPT talk radio. Richard is another commentator, a local guy, who also tells it like it is, doesn't mince words, and is bold enough to let us know that facing down fascism is not only possible, but necessary, and it can work. I think one of the most empowering things we have, as opposition to the Trumpism that is destroying everything that is American freedom, is the experience that black Americans have had in fighting against white supremacy. That kind of bigotry is a core element of the MAGA movement and of the Heritage Foundation brand of Christian nationalism. That's a strength that I believe will prove to be neccessary in any successful elimination of MAGA extremism from this country.

We are fortunate, in Illinois, to have a state legislature that insulates us from a lot of MAGA craziness, and a governor in J. B. Pritzker who is one of the few politicians, along with California governor Gavin Newsom, that have the boldness and are willing to take the risks to stand up to Trump and his fully incompetent administration. Politics being what it is, they are, of course, open to allegations that what they are doing is politically motivated by personal ambition, rather than patriotism. But the fact of the matter is that defending everything that this country once stood for is risky, when it comes to politics, and if their motivation was only because of personal ambition, they would not be taking the political risks, and in fact, the potential risks to their own personal safety and that of their families, if they were only concerned about advancing their own political career. They're both wealthy enough to live comfortably otherwise, and not bother with it if it didn't mean something more to them.