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Kimberly's avatar

Air traffic controllers have been in short supply for DECADES. If all those white men didn't make it though training that is no one's fault but their mediocrity. And frump fired heads of depts. and froze hirings. This is all on frump. Period.

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Steven Dundas's avatar

Charlotte,

Thank you for this thoughtful reflection and commentary. The they resonate with me. The spectacle of Trump doing this sickens me. Anyone with any decency would never do that, and the response of Schumer was a travesty, so spineless and weak. He needs to resign sooner rather than later.

Be safe and watch your six.

Steve Dundas

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Terri's avatar

Exactly how I’m feeling, but way more articulate. Thank you for this.

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nkrempa's avatar

I have been so incredibly enraged by Donnie's idiotic, disgusting behavior today that I finally stopped following updates on the stupidity, especially as it was covered by our supposedly "mainstream" media. Disappointing doesn't begin to cover how I feel about what I read and heard. I've run out of pejoratives for Donnie, I've run out of patience for our Democratic leadership, and I've run out of empathy for anyone who finds themselves on the receiving end of this nightmare of chaos after having voted for it. As the nasty bitch I am, I am eagerly awaiting the face-eating. I wonder if this is how the Roman citizens felt watching the gladiators and the Christians?

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Stephanie Bachman's avatar

Subscribed. Charlotte, you help me feel hope in these times.

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Daniel's avatar

A tremendously powerful essay; thank you for sharing and for moving us forward.

In a moment of great tragedy and suffering, you following courageously your head and heart leads us to this crystal-clear understanding: "the struggle to enshrine a false idol" is most recently built on those bodies in the Potomac.

I'm still haunted and dizzy by last Tuesday's National Cathedral service and I'm realizing that's my touchstone for these four years. A preacher asked the powerful to care for frightened people. And the powerful lashed back in fury and with even greater hatred.

Scripture has something to say about all this, I believe.

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Richard Spruill's avatar

Wait, I thought they blamed everything on CRT, now it's DEI? Don't tell them about the NAACP.

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Erica M Vogel's avatar

Perfectly stated!

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SJ's avatar

Yes! For years he has made them feel like their present circumstance has not been the result of poor life choices or mediocrity. No, it’s been because of… (fill in the blank with your perceived villain of the moment, right now it’s DEI). Cheers for saying it far more eloquently than I did.

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Christine Sayre's avatar

Perfectly said

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Amazon Anne's avatar

Wow.

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The Social Prophet's avatar

This piece was spot-on and well-written. You nailed how these kinds of tragedies used to bring people together, even briefly, but now they immediately become just another excuse for political mudslinging. The way you broke down the weaponization of DEI was particularly striking. As someone focused on this work for decades, it’s frustrating—but also powerful—to see how you laid out the stakes. Your writing hit me because it felt like you weren’t just describing what’s wrong but challenging us to rethink what “normal” could and should be.

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Catherine's avatar

Thank you for the DEI —> Dei—> of God.

I’ve been pointing that out to those around me for quite a while. Keeping it in mind while listening to all of the filth and muck being spewed forth about DEI adds quite a bit of depth to ponder. Painful, but worth contemplating if one goes in for that kind of thing… thinking, I mean. 🤭

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Sharon C Storm's avatar

Where are the voices of Democratic leaders condemning this hatred? We need courage and commitment, and all we get are platitudes. AOC, Jasmine Crockett, Jared Moskowitz, Elizabeth Warren are all correct in calling out this sad excuse for a human being. He uses hate and derision to cast blame on those who did the compassionate things, never taking blame for himself, even when it is his fault.

Also, it is past time to pass the torch to younger, more passionate members of Congress. They are brave and speak truth, even when it is uncomfortable.

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Elizabeth Payne's avatar

AMEN!

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Tammye (she/they)'s avatar

Amen.

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Catherine Howard's avatar

The DEI policies at the FAA were put in place in 2013 and have not changed until now so were in place for Trump1.0. He is the most disgraceful, dishonest and disgusting person I have ever seen.

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