Tommy’s last words

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I have my column ready for next week. I will be the last words of an Iron Range legislator and rascal who expressed sentiments defending the targets of Trump’s wrath – immigrants. Congressman Stauber should be ashamed of his Trumpish law linking childcare fraud with one nationality as though Somalis had sole possession of it. The fact is they have nothing on the frauds being perpretrated by the Trump cabal running roughshod over our democracy. I shelved the column I had begun because my rough draft paled compared to Tommy Rukavina’s words. I recalled posting them six years ago in the blog. Back in 2019 we were only into year three of Donald Trump’s reign of hate. It was very much on Tommy’s mind as he lay on his deathbed. As the Duluth Reader get more eyes than Lincolndemocrat I will sit out next week and give the late representative the floor.

I am continuing my progress through David McCullough’s biography “Truman“. Every page is a revelation. I know the basic story and many of its parts but until now I’ve only known most of them superficially. I just checked when I read his most popular bio “Plain Speaking” by Merle Miller on my updated reading list. It turns out it was one of the first books I read in 1979 when I started the list 46 years ago. It’s interesting that in my first months of catalouging my history reading I read about Truman. His reputation though good, was not particularly high. I have to say McCullough has straighted out the record. It is depressing to think about how far short of Truman Donald Trump falls.

I’m well past half way through the book’s 996 pages of text excluding end notes. I’m about to start Chapter 13 titled “The Heat in the Kitchen”. The chapter just ended explained how Truman got the Marshall Plan through Congress and ends with this paragraph

“In all the history of the world,” Truman wrote privately a few days after final passage of the program, “we are the first great nation to feed and support the conquered. We are the first great nation to create independent republics from conquered territory, Cuba and the Philippines. Our neighbors are not afraid of us. Their borders have no forts, no soldiers, no tanks, no big guns lined up.”

Donald Trump has set the US and the world back a hundred years.

About the author

Harry is a ferociously good natured eccentric in Duluth Minnesota who detests traitors dressed up as Uncle Sam. You can find somewhat better edited writings of his at the Duluth Reader "contributors." page. The URL is:

https://duluthreader.com/contributors/h/84/284-harry-welty