The world can be a cold and unforgiving place, but it is through empathy and compassion that we find our humanity. — Berlin Diary
There is a relatively obscure little book I like to read at times like this called Berlin Diary by William L. Shirer, who is much better known for his immense volume, “The Rise and Fall of the Third Reich.”
He published his diary in 1941 just as the cataclysm known as World War II was getting under way, and two decades before the other, larger work became a best-seller.
The reason I originally was attracted to the diary, and still am, is that as an American journalist stationed in Europe, Shirer was able to capture the romantic intrigue of a moment when everyone knew we were on the verge of something immense but none among us could possibly know the scale of what was about to happen, how bad it might get, or how it would all turn out in the end.
It is in these moments that we can hope for the best and prepare for the worst but we can’t know.
The relationships with family and friends that we cultivate, solidify or reignite in these moments can be suddenly more vivid and intense than they may have been under ordinary circumstances. These connections also have the potential to help sustain us through the difficult days, weeks and months to come.
The movie Casablanca, long one of my favorites, brings those same kinds of insights into the emotional intensity of these moments to the screen, and not surprisingly in retrospect, it was released at roughly the same time as Berlin Diary.
Not to get overly dramatic about this, or hyperbolic, but it feels as if we may be at another one of those tipping points of history right now. Hopefully, this one will be far less cataclysmic than global war, but the parallels between Trump and Hitler’s rise go way beyond the heated rhetoric of a political campaign. They are palpably reshaping our lives and relationships as if we are collectively frozen in time watching a massive train wreck occur before our living eyes in slow motion.
It may prove to be at some future point that we were powerless to prevent it — that like Shirer and Edward R. Murrow we are eyewitnesses to the history unfolding before us. Alternatively, it may be that by speaking out, standing up, and reaching out that we can as yet still avert disaster even at this last moment.
But whatever may be about to happen — or more hopefully, not happen — we’ll still all have each other, and now is a good time to acknowledge that those connections matter.
(Artwork: Bettina)
HEADLINES:
Philadelphia DA sues Elon Musk PAC to stop $1 million lottery for voters (CNBC)
Hundreds of ballots are destroyed after fires are set in ballot drop boxes in Oregon and Washington (AP)
The Improbable Rise of J. D. Vance (New Yorker)
Why Major Newspapers Won’t Endorse Kamala Harris — Democracy dies in broad daylight. Atlantic)
Voters Are Deeply Skeptical About the Health of American Democracy (NYT)
Trump’s Shock Comic Was Set to Call Harris a ‘C*nt’ (Bulwark)
Harris adopts Trump’s playbook as she targets his age and competence (WP)
Republican battleground-state legal blitz falters ahead of election (Reuters)
This Is Trump’s Message (Atlantic)
Democrats spotlight racist Puerto Rico insult at Trump rally amid battle for Latino voters (WP)
Harris and Trump push different plans for tackling housing affordability crisis (AP)
Some billionaires, CEOs hedge bets as Trump vows retribution (WP)
Trump unveils the most extreme closing argument in modern presidential history (CNN)
Trump’s New York homecoming sparks backlash over racist and vulgar remarks (Politico)
How America’s youngest voters feel about casting their first ballots (WP)
US voters concerned about post-election violence and efforts to overturn the results (AP)
Barricades and Bulletproof Glass: A County Prepares for Election Day (NYT)
The trajectory of Ukraine’s fight against Russia hangs on the outcome of the US election (AP)
After Israel’s missile strike on Iran, what next? (Economist)
Current climate pledges still fall way short on Paris goals, UN body says (Reuters)
California Governor Proposes $750 Million in Annual Film Tax Credits (NYT)
Martina McBride on Becoming Country Music’s Truth-Teller: ‘The Right Thing Isn’t Always Easy’ (Rolling Stone)
Google is working on a new AI model that sounds so creepy (BGR)
Report Finds You Should Get To Retire After, Like, 6 Years Working Full-Time Job (The Onion)
LYRICS: “Love’s the Only House” song by Martina McBride (Songwriters: Buzz Cason / Thomas Stevenson Douglas)
I was standing in the grocery store line
The one they marked express
When this woman came through with about 25 things
And I said don't you know that more is less
She said this world is moving so fast
But I just get more behind with every day
And every morning when I make my coffee
I can't believe my life's turned out this way
All I could say was
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
He was walking by the other day and I said
Hey, baby how you been?
Yeah, I got me a little girl now and she's 4 years old
And she's got her daddy's little grin
And you only want what you can't have
And baby you can't have me now
I gave me heart to another
Yeah, I'm a mother and he's a father
And we've got each other
And I found out the hard way that
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
You drive three miles from all this prosperity
Down across the river and you see a ghetto there
And we got children walking around with guns
And they got knives with drugs and pain to spare
And here I am in my clean, white shirt
With a little money in my pocket and a nice warm home
And we got teenagers walkin' around in a culture of darkness
Livin' together alone, and all I can
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
And I can't explain it and I can't understand
But I'll come down and get my hands dirty and together we'll make a stand
Somewhere cross the parking lot some bands playin out of tune
City streets are gonna burn if we don't do something soon
And senorita can't quit cryin, baby's due now any day
Don juan left, got sick of tryin
No one there to show him the way
She came down to the grocery store
She said, I wanna buy a little carton of milk but I don't have any money
I said, hey, I'll cover you, honey
'Cause the pain's gotta go somewhere
Yeah, the pain's gotta go some place
So come on down to my house
Don't you know that
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain in the world
Love's the only house big enough for all the pain
Don't you know that
Love's the only house (big enough for all the pain in the world)
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