By Brad Friedman on 11/26/2025, 2:18pm PT  

We were in such a hurry to hit get out of Dodge for the holiday, that I haven't had a calm moment until now to mention our absence from both airwaves and blog this week (above and beyond a quick mention in my posting of our final BradCast last week before this week's break), or otherwise fully share my gratitude with all of the listeners, readers, donors, contributors, before-the-scenes helpers, broadcast affiliates, etc. that make whatever we do here possible as we speed to our 24th year, next year.

While there remains far too much to be concerned about amid the current, bleak state of our country and world, it is hard not to be spirited by noteworthy progress we have all collectively made toward correcting the course of this ship of state, particularly in recent weeks.

A fair recognition of the nightmares also demands appreciation and gratitude for the indefatigable perseverance of so many and the miles we have all collectively come since the darkest days of this Second Term of Trumpian torture began.

Longtime friend of this blog and its titular radio program, Lisa Graves, is a former senior official who served in all three branches of the federal government. She is author of the new book, WITHOUT PRECEDENT, detailing the dismantling of our Constitution and its enumerated rights by the Roberts Court. She paused for a reality check of her own Thanksgiving missive to readers of her newsletter this week in a post titled "Chief Justice John Roberts Walks Into Nuremberg, the Film…".

"Where are we on the timeline?," she asks rhetorically, before answering sensibly: "The good news, relatively, is that it's more like 1933 than 1938, but that's not great. However, we are pre-Holocaust and we are, at this moment, pre-invasion of other nations. The future is yet unwritten, and We the People still have the power to help write our destiny."

Her piece, as always, is worth a read in full. But her list of gratitudes mirrors so many of my own thoughts this year, that I figure it's better to share them as is, given I am always honored to associate with her on such things...

This Thanksgiving week and beyond, I am so grateful for the tremendous efforts in state after state to get out the vote earlier this month, and to use the ballot to take a stand against the extremes we are seeing. The No Kings marches, with their peaceful solidarity and love for the ideals of our nation, bring me enormous hope-along with the often humorous and joyful community actions outside detention facilities. And, I am awed by the thousands of individual acts of courage in speaking up or recording injustices, along with the countless beautiful acts of neighbors helping neighbors. Plus, the power of organic economic boycotts, like the successful outcry against Disney over firing Jimmy Kimmel, have been so inspiring.

We have a lot of work to do together in the months ahead to broaden our connections with one another, make our communities more resilient, and help make our nation a better and more just place. Together, we really can help bend the arc of history toward justice and freedom and fairness, if only we do not give up. Hope is a choice we must renew every day. Every. Single. Day.

As noted, couldn't have said it better myself.

We are still on a long and very bumpy road. A lot of people will be hurt in the coming days, months and years, and things are likely to get worse, at times, before they get fully better. But, I join Lisa in hoping for a better day --- each and every one of them, despite failures, road bumps, road blocks and other setbacks along with the way.

As long as we move forward together each --- with hope, charity and, perhaps as importantly, good cheer --- I am confident we all will soon see a far better day.

For that, I am eternally thankful to all of you who have read this far into my Thanksgiving message. We'll be back next week and probably before that for Sunday Toons --- also needed now more than ever.

With much gratitude (and good cheer!)... Brad

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