As upsetting as it is to wake up to news of an insurrection, most concerning is the effect it could have on our personal relationships. That is, at least, the biggest thing on my mind this morning. The following thoughts began as a pep talk to myself.
Firstly, hang in there! Tenir bon = tenir le coup
What if the antidote to un coup is to tenir le coup? Such is the definition for tenir bon: to endure, withstand, weather the storm, stay the course. To tenir bon means simply to cope. Nous devons tenir bon!
Tears flowing, a fast-growing knot in the throat, sudden sadness/despair…followed by anger. Did you have a similar reaction when you watched a mob storming our capitol several hours ago? Here again are two words that may help during destabilizing or upsetting times: Tenez bon!
Weather The Storm
The worst possible outcome of this political storming is its power to divide us. No matter which side you are on you won’t be able to win over the other, already entrenched in his or her beliefs. So what can you do? Until you find a peaceful answer, tenez bon! Weather the storm in love and dignity.
I leave you with a cheerful photo taken last Sunday. The dog's tilted head speaks volumes. Tell me what he is saying in the comments.
Amicalement,
Kristi
Both photos in today's edition were taken here in La Ciotat. Please share this blog with someone who loves France. Merci d'avance!
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Hi Kristi. Here’s a NYTimes column from last October that, despite all the noise, seems to have been borne out. See: “There Will be No Trump Coup” by Ross Douthat (link below).
I have been writing our congressmen and senators asking them to be a force in bringing us together.
Paul
https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/10/opinion/sunday/trump-election-authoritarianism.html
The hatred expressed here has been a big part of the problem for the last 4 years. You are also responsible for what has happened. I am disgusted by this and won’t be on this hate site again
I was shocked when I heard that the Capitol had been breached. I tried to find out as much as I could through
Twitter and News via email, but I. Ended to leave to bring food to some friends (He has double pneumonia). I dropped it off and then sat in my car at the beach listening to my radio describing what was happening. I watched the sun slowly descend I over the water. I needed a time to reflect. I almost stopped at my church and sat in the chapel, but the beach worked well. Upon returning home, I sat horrified, watching the TV as thugs ransacked our, the people’s, Capitol building. I was angered by Trumps words. Still he would not concede and he said that he loved the marauders.
Then to have Hawley and Cruz still saying that the election was flawed, and to have all of those Republicans stand with them, drove me crazy. Enough said.
As for the dog. “What? You say that I need a haircut? But it is short enough. I’ll freeze if it is much shorter. Just give me a treat. Don’t I look cute enough?”
There was no attempted overthrow of the USA. There were a few lawbreakers at an otherwise peaceful protest. Those who broke the law will & should be prosecuted. The far larger number of people who protested peacefully, simply went on about their lives. If you think this was crazy (the lawbreakers) you are not a student of US history! We are a land of people who love our country & feel strongly about it. That’s a wonderful thing! We are also the same country of the Boston Tea Party; a group who, to protest polices they found unfair, took tea off a ship & dumped it into the water. Then, those same protesters paid the shipowner back for the tea they’d thrown into the harbor. They were upset with unfair government policies & did not feel that the shipowner should have to take a loss on his cargo that was dumped into the harbor. Let’s not focus on the few who were led by some notion or another that violence is the way, the laws of our land will see that they are punished. Let’s focus, instead, on the vast throngs of people yesterday who gathered in peace. We are proud to support any & all groups in the USA who gather peacefully to voice their views. That’s our country, that’s what it means to be a free American!
Dear Kristi, I see how you bravely tried to express your concern both about what happened yesterday but also about how we could “heal” our country. One “mistake” I think you made was to say that both sides are “entrenched in his or her beliefs”.
I don’t see it this way. There are many viewpoints in America. Conservative, liberal, libertarian, “independents”, and more. That’s not the problem.. The problem is several things. A President who dis-respects the law and is incapable of having concern for anyone but himself (now, even throwing his vice-president under the bus). He has done everything he could do for four years to deconstruct the agencies that serve and protect Americans. The majority of people voted him out of office as is our right and responsiblity to vote. For two months he and Fox news and other right-wing propaganda machines have lied and said the election was stolen. DESPITE numerous recounts, despite that even his own appointed judges said there was NO basis for his claim. Still Trump stoked the flames of hate and fear and resentment amongst his supporters that the election was STOLEN, and even that very morning exhorted them to march on the Capitol. This is not a case of “entrenched beliefs” of the “two” sides. This is a case of wanton lies and an extremely violent assault on the Capitol. This was not only disp-respect for democracy and the will of the people in terms of our sacred right and responsibility to vote; this was an attempted coup and a criminal incitement to violence. So yeah, no. This is not about — oh, let’s all just get along. Interesting too the way the Washington police handled the essentially white violent mob with kid gloves. You know if these people had been black they’d all be dead or in jail. Hardly any arrests. There is a very serious problem under-lying the events of yesterday, and it’s not going to be resolved by all of us being “nicer”. We are in a very sad and sorry state in our country with some 70 or80 million people having been brainwashed by Fox and Trump to believe his lies. It does indeed remind me of what happened in Germany and how the German people ended up believing the vicious ideology of Hitler — that Jews, communists, gypsies, and gays were the root of the economic problems in Germany and therefore had to be eliminated. As a Jewish person, I am aware that I had family living in that region who were never heard from again. I take this kind of demagoguery personally. It’s 100% not ok and not negotiable. The German people and government have taken it upon themselves to educate themselves and their children against this kind of ideology so that it won’t happen again. We need to do that too. It’s not a question of “understanding” this hatred and violence. It’s a question of our nation gaining a clear and kinder vision of ourselves and educating against this kind of hate-based ideology. Thanks for letting me say what’s on my mind. And thank you always for bringing your own honest and kind viewpoint to the world (even if I disagree with your comment about entrenchment). And yes, we need to hang in and hope to get to the other side of this American nightmare. with love, Gayle
Unfortunately, complacency (“Our guy won”) is not an adequate response. Think about it: a lot of damage can be done in just 13 days.
Indeed that is true. The Capitol Police betrayed their principles in not acting more swiftly and strongly. The investigation should start TODAY.
Sadly, one of the 6 is my newly elected senator. When I called his office this morning to express my concerns, “this mailbox is full”. Such an unknowledgeable, ill-informed person to hold this office… I am grateful for Kristi’s encouragement to ‘tens bon’.
PLEASE REMOVE THIS ANGRY POST, Kristi.
It is filled with conspiracies, not facts.
The dog: Do you know where my owner is?
The USA: I was glued to the TV last night, but what I came away with the manner in which the police eventually managed to get he job of removing the rioters with very little force. Someone gave an order to be visible but disciplined. In Oregon and Michigan that was not the case, there was mighty force used. The good guys, security personeel did us proud!!
Please. Spare me. “Emotional storming of the White House?” The mob, as you call it, acted like a mob does; mindlessly and violently. It had nothing to do with arrogance or smugness. It was a radical, violent, terroristic act of hate, promulgated by the President of the United States. Can’t you get your head around that?
And the truth is, Trump IS a sociopath. He suffers from a raging case of Narcissistic Personality Disorder (look it up in the DSM-5, if you don’t understand this PD) He is utterly incapable of thinking of anyone other than himself. Ever. He is sick, but so are the people who follow him blindly. And the Hitler references? While they may be a bit overheated, yesterday’s event had the look of another Reichstag fire from where I sit.
And here’s a big head’s up. This is not going on because of my “attitude,” it’s happening because Trump and the GOP have sewn anger and hate and discontent for years now — aided by a complicit right-wing media machine and social media. The same can not be said of the Democrats. We want our country back and we’re damn tired of these false equivalencies that you make.
Kristie – I’m sorry for making this kind of post on your lovely blog. Forgive me. But it needs to be said.
Finally, did we notice who the remaining Senators were who didn’t give up on the faux vote protest? All of them came from states where education is horrible and low information voters abound.
Patricia, Can you tell me where you have read this about facial recognition and Antifa? I would like to read more about this and I haven’t found any news on it yet
Stop all this hate talk now !
The coup started when Trump ran for office-
won-& the Democrats went after him in 2016.
Think about that with some logic.
Hypocrisy is the word of the day.
Margaret,
Can you tell me where you have read about Antifa members breaking into the White House? I want to read more and cannot find much info.
Ditto everything Gayle said.
Doggie said, « awww, why do you want a pic of me….I am just a plain and insignificant doggie. »
I am always amazed at the reaction many Americans have to the word “socialism”. Being from Canada, I understand for example that socialized medicine, which we have, means everyone has access to good health care, not just those who have money and advantages. Having policies that provide a safety net for those who cannot help themselves is considered to be socialist by many Americans who believe in survival of the fittest. In my opinion, to look out for all in a society makes for a much better and kinder place. Canada is not perfect but we do have some policies that could be labelled socialist and I am very grateful for them.
Yesterday in Washington was a horror show and I think people are finally waking up to what Trump stands for!! He has reminded me of Hitler, where people were afraid to speak up against him even though they knew better, not to mention the component of white supremacy amongst a large portion of his followers. Thankfully, in the end American democracy won over yesterday and a new more sane era will begin.
All the beautiful countries we want to flee to are socialists, such as Canada, France, England, Norway, Sweden, Spain, Italy… yeah, those are the countries we all would LOVE to flee to. USA is a joke of a country. We pay as much taxes as all the above countries, and we get nothing in return, no healthcare and no higher education! Heck, even some developing countries have better healthcare and free higher education.
The people who broke into the White House were the likes of Ashli Babbit, a CONFIRMED TRUMP SUPPORTER. With claims like you just made, it proves how insane you trump supporters are. Total delusional. I love Trump,but I hate Trump supporters, a bunch of hallucinating idiots. Donald Trump lost the election, and that’s the end of it. He did a good job while he was in the office, but unfortunately the exit hasn’t been nice.
Ha, I bet this letter has a chance to win the prize for most responses?
I just want to say that saying this was a coup d’etat will mislead people from other countries that have to deal with the possibility of real coup d’etats. There was never any chance this would actually change the legal transfer of power to Biden in 2 weeks. If you listen to the interviews of the protesters that went into the Capitol, even they realized that they weren’t going to change the outcome. They said they were there to “send a message” and “disrupt the process”. Stupid and illegal and shameful, yes, but not a real coup d’etat attempt.
According to the definition of insurrection, it WAS an insurrection – a violent uprising against a government.
Well said…
🌏👏
If we all made more room for love and lightness, the world would be a better place!
Le chien dit, »Oú vas-tu sans moi? Ne me quitte pas! As-tu oublié que je sois ton copain fidèle? »
Thank you Gayle for taking the time to present this articulate and thorough examination of what happened yesterday and over the past 4 unhappy years. Yesterday was clearly an attempted coup and should not be confused with “a difference of opinion”
We had a president incite a mob to attack the Capitol yesterday. Trump must be removed from office immediately. Otherwise our country will be vulnerable to anyone in the world who might egg us into international conflicts we can’t easily withdraw from. Make no mistake: Trump will escalate his actions from now until January 20th and beyond if allowed to. He claimed yesterday to have won by a landslide. That was four years ago! He is unhinged, delusional, and a clear danger to the country he is now attacking.
The dog is saying “It works wonders for getting pet more if I tilt my head just so.”
As I understood it, it was an attempted coup and it didn’t get them what they wanted, I..e., keep Biden presidency from being ratified
Oui! Vous comprenez précisément!
Barb sums it up accurately and concisely. Here’s one more fact: that domestic terrorism was directly incited by the President of the United States.
Le chien dit, vous etes fou, mais j’ai de la patience, beaucoup de patience pour vous. Je serai patient tous les jours. Je vous attends. J’attendrai la raisin du monde.
Darn, spellcheck changed raison to raisin! I caught all the other changes. Raisin du monde??
I must take umbrage with those of you who allege that Antifa was in the forefront of the mob storming the Capitol. News reports from a variety of news rooms across the political spectrum state it was Q-anon rioters who led the charge. What a sad day for America.
Watch the televised address that President-Elect delivered today (January 7), Susie. It demonstrates that everything you wrote about Mr. Biden personally in the first paragraph of your comment is baseless, except for one assertion. That one remaining assertion, that he has a history of criminal behavior, also has no basis in fact.
The dog is saying « how long does it take to get a haircut ? »
If you read joe bauchers books,Deer hunting with Jesus and diary of a redneck,or A hillbilly elegy, then you understand how half of Americans have been overlooked and undereducated by successive governments of both sides. These people don’t even know how to make choices and many are very deeply angry .
That’s where the healing should start, by addressing their issues, not mere political rhetoric.
I live in Australia and my fear is that we have politicians here who admire the USA way of life.
I am distressed that you would use the phrase “coup d’etat.” That would seem to stoke the fire.
plus ça change dear Kristi
Regards, Gaye
That sweet dog is saying “BATH!!” or why are humans so into hate? I (the dog) just do not understand what it gets them? And it seems to take so much energy and time which could be used in so many positive ways.
now for my 2 cents – we need to get civics education back into our schools because citizens need to know how our government works and why it was created the was it was; finding a bomb at the RNC and the DNC in Washington D.C. tells me that a third or more other parties were involved in the shameful activities at our capitol. Which leads me to believing that domestic terrorism is the most accurate description of events.
Last but not least – the pseudo Viking needs to spend some time in jail and grow up. The sun will come up tomorrow and we all get a new start.
In addition to my two replies to comments, here is what I think the doggie is expressing: “l have been waiting for my person to come out of the barber shop for SO long…will you give me a pet?”
Whenever I see a Bible quote in reference to American politics, I move along — quickly. Why is it that people in the U.S. think that those words are meant for them? It is the height of hubris.
The dog tilted his head …can we go home!
Kirk, ici Lisa Schwalier, provenance de Moravian College. Ca va? Je suis d’accord cent pour cent avec toi. Amicalement, Lisa S. Rogers
Bonjour! I’d say, in keeping with the theme of your post, that doggie is saying: “I wonder what is happening to the U.S.?” The divisiveness is entrenched for sure. Each side has a worldview. I would characterize the left more globalist/socialist in mentality and the right as more American exceptionalist/capitalist in mentality. Each side has their own media: the left has CNN, MSNBC, NPR, New York Times, Washington Post, The Atlantic, the Economist, etc. and the right has Fox, NewsMax, Blaze, Epoch Times, City Journal, The Spectator and so on.Since, as you notice, the left-leaning media is the mainstream media, people on the left do not see what people on the right see and vice versa. For people on the left, they saw a demonized and hated orange man in power that they never felt was legitimate yet the right saw a populist president who was not owned by the lobbyists and globalist/corporate power structures. The four years our current president was in office was marked by a media and academic community who hated him and tried to get him out of office. The supporters of the president were frustrated that the president and his family were maligned, marginalized and hated without cause. You see? We live in two different realities. No wonder doggie is confused.
I am shocked at these responses
They are the fodder that keeps our Nation embattled. Remember when the
Moderate middle was dominate?? That compromise and respect were the norm?
There must be those who will act for the greater good of all —- Politics has become poisoined. The American ideal deserves more respect.
Yes the events are horrible, and as Kriti says so well one has to “ tenir le coup”. Like we say in France “A chacun ses mauvais gouts” “Each one has his/her own bad test” and should weather the storm in respect and dignity, it should not prevent civility and more so friendship. I am so sorry to see that many have used Kristi’s friendly and amicable blog to turn it into a vindictive and partisan mean of communication. Kristi, we’re looking for more of your cheerful news.
I find it fascinating (also being Canadian) that the only organization that is “stopping” Trump is finally Twitter…and only temporarily. Is there no other legal action that can be taken against him? Unbelievable!!
Excellent summary – thank you.
Thank you, Barb. Words matter. Our Capitol was stormed by a mob of domestic terrorists. It’s an appalling event in American history.
Spot on Alice reg comparison to Hitler. I‘ve been in mental pain every time he opened his mouth- so every day. Such a relief when he is finally off the scene. May he and his supporters be as heavily punished as legally possible in the US.
I already lost a friend in America due to her blind support of Trump (love the ‚alternative‘ meaning)
Sometimes you just have to draw the line and show some backbone. What does it say about a person supporting that sorry excuse for a human being? Only by accepting to lose a friend when you speak your mind, will we be able to save democracy. Don’t give them more power by faking you are tolerant enough to accept bullies and narcissistic personalities
It is good to see that you all haven’t supported that sad excuse for a human being
Anja from Germany
Bravo Kristi. Je suis triste aussi car l‘Amérique était la raison pour laquelle j‘ai appris la langue anglais
J‘aime beaucoup votre blog et je me rejoie lire plus
Votre livre me plaît besucoup. J‘adore votre courage en suivant Jean-Marc sur sa route de vin
Et le chien dit: Aime-moi, je suis si mignon,ne
Amicalement
Anja d‘Allemagne
Anja, me too I am sad-traurig.
My beautiful adoptive country has been in turmoil.
(Germany was my previous, also beloved adoptive country).
So many wonderful people everywhere and so much kindness to lift our hearts too.
Kristi, you found the right words.
Let’s not allow anything to divide us… It is OK to have different opinions. Let’s try not to shut one another out. Let’s check our facts. This blog and its readers have always been such a sweet reprieve. If human beings can’t get along we are always in trouble!
Amicalement-with love
tick …tock ….tick ….tock………this is going to be the longest 13 days EVER
Photo of “le chien” … He says to himself … “My reflection shows me that I can lean both ways.”
you watch, what happened yesterday will be the beginning of how the tide of truth slowly starts taking precedence, instead of the back seat its had for 4 years…..and all those complicit republicans will probably see their popularity wane a bit….fingers crossed….
and now, for what the dog’s saying…”seriously, you’re making me wear a MASK on our walk???!!
gawd… whatta world….