Conservative Peggy And Liberal Thom May 4, 2025May 4, 2025 Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal: We are ruining an international reputation that took more than a century to build. No need to read it all. Isn’t that enough? Thom Hartmann [condensed]: Bondi’s Plan to Jail Journalists Is How Democracies Die and Dictatorships Begin (It’s not paranoia when it’s happening right in front of you.) Last week, Attorney General Pam Bondi quietly issued a memo rescinding vital protections for journalists that had prevented the government from forcing reporters to reveal their sources or surrender their notes during leak investigations. This wasn’t just any memo; it was a declaration of war against the very foundation of press freedom in America. Bondi’s justification? The Justice Department “will not tolerate unauthorized disclosures that undermine President Trump’s policies, victimize government agencies, and cause harm to the American people.” Did you catch that? Not disclosures that threaten national security, but those that “undermine President Trump’s policies.” Since when did the President’s policies become sacred and beyond scrutiny? Since when did exposing wrongdoing by our government become a crime against “the American people”? What we’re witnessing is step one in the dictator’s playbook: silence those who tell the truth about your regime. We’ve seen this pattern in Russia, Hungary, Turkey, and countless other countries where democracy has withered into authoritarianism. First, attack the press. Then, criminalize dissent. Intimidate lawmakers, lawyers, and judges. Finally, consolidate power in the hands of a single leader. I’ve been covering American politics for five decades, and just to be very clear: This is not normal. This is not just another partisan policy dispute. This is an existential threat to our constitutional system of government. The time for polite disagreement or “strongly worded letters” is over. The time for waiting to see what happens next is over. We must act now to protect our democracy before it’s too late. > Demand that Congress pass a federal shield law to protect journalists from being forced to reveal their sources. . . . > Support independent journalism with your dollars and your attention. Subscribe to newspapers, donate to nonprofit news organizations like ProPublica, and share important stories with your networks. A robust press is our best defense against tyranny. > Contact your representatives and tell them that protecting press freedom must be a top priority. Remind them that their oath is to the Constitution, not to any president or party. The phone number for the congressional switchboard, which can connect you to both your senators and your member of the House, is 202-224-3121. > Prepare to take to the streets if Bondi follows through on her threat to prosecute journalists for treason. That would be a red line from which there is no return to normal democratic governance. We stand at a crossroads in American history. Down one path lies a renewed commitment to our democratic values, including a free press that can hold the powerful accountable. Down the other lies authoritarianism, where “truth” is whatever the leader says it is, and those who disagree face persecution or worse. The time to act is now. Join Indivisible. Support the opposition. Read Thom Hartmann’s bite-sized Hidden History of American Democracy. (Urgent!) Under 3 hours if you listen at1.3X. How, after 16 years of schooling, did I not know all this stuff? Read or listen to Peggy Noonan’s Selected Writings. (A total pleasure.)