American Heroes — Profiles in Courage
‘Today, I am holding space in my heart for American heroes, who will never give up on the promise of democracy’
***Grateful to all who support my work. If you’re not yet a member, please consider taking out a paid subscription to access all embedded links and to support independent investigative journalism — truly vital in this time of grave deception.***
Just dashing off a quick note of gratitude to some brave and wonderful people.
Ruth Ben-Ghiat — her weekly Lucid sessions are historic. Because she is a scholar of Italian fascism, she saw all this coming, and warned about it in 2015 — and then later in her ‘Strongmen’ book. Here is a summary from her ‘Speakeasy’ visit:
David Pepper — when author and democratic hero popped into our Happy Hour last week for an impromptu pep rally, and then thanked us, I thought no matter how all this turns out, I am happy for the people I’ve met along the way. His substack gives us the tools we need to be better Americans. Here is a summary from that recent visist:
Joyce Vance — It’s the chickens. Sure it’s her brilliant legal analysis of the critical cases of our times, but her feathered friends remind me to take a breather and not miss the beauty along the way — the things that bring us life. Here is a feature I wrote inspired by the chickens:
Heather Cox Richardson — When Ruth referred to her as a ‘stan’ for Biden, I thought — how perfect. The historian and author HCR as she’s known in activist circles writes daily letters that update us on Biden’s string of successes and she also makes history come to life, as she did in her latest, Letters from an American substack.
Jason Stanley — I miss him on the platform formerly known as Twitter, but he left to spend more time with his family, literally, and that is a wonderful thing. The professor of philosophy and author of ‘How Fascism Works’ has given me so many tools in my fight against fascism. I’ll just start here, when he explained on RadPod why Big Business backs fascism:
Timothy Snyder — Both Snyder and Stanley are professors at Yale, and both have spent time working in Ukraine since Russia’s large-scale invasion. I dove into Snyder’s ‘Making of Modern Ukraine’ video series, and came out a more informed reporter. Here are two of those reports:
There are so many more personal heroes of mine, who I also consider my friends and that is truly remarkable. I treasure Jeff Sharlet, Martin Sheil, Jackie Singh, and of course my brave and brilliant podcast partners Jim Stewartson and HiFi. They each keep me going on my worst days.
Today, I am holding space in my heart for all the American heroes, who will never give up on the promise of democracy.
Onward and upward!
****
Bette Dangerous is a reader-funded magazine. Thank you to all monthly, annual, and founding members. Thank you as well to all those who support my work with your generous coffee tips and who buy my ebooks. Some of you prefer making subsidizing donations via venmo, and it’s always greatly appreciated.
Members access all content and receive invites to our weekly Happy Hour, and our Speakeasy guest events. Our next Speakeasy is this coming Sunday with Aquilino Gonell. Here is a report from the latest Speakeasy:
Founding Members who support me at the premium level will be invited to our monthly Founder’s Day events — please upgrade to Founding Member if you would like to join us for these special intimate occasions to meet global experts, including our upcoming Founder’s Day with Dr. Gary Slutkin on Dec 12. Our most recent Founder’s Day with war photojournalist was magical. Here is a print recap:
Also, a private link to an annual membership discount for older adults, those on fixed incomes or drawing disability, as well as activists and members of the media is available upon request at bettedangerous/gmail. 🥹
More info about Bette Dangerous - This magazine is written by Heidi Siegmund Cuda, an Emmy-award winning investigative reporter, author, and veteran music and nightlife columnist. She is the cohost of RADICALIZED Truth Survives, an investigative show about disinformation and is part of the Byline Media team. Thank you for your support of independent investigative journalism.
“We just have to see that the battle for democracy is broader. It's deeper.“—David Pepper
“I need people to see they're on the frontline. Wherever you live, if you’re doing this work, you are the frontline.”—David Pepper
“The message should be a fair deal… fairness everywhere.”—Martin Sheil
💘
“I say a silent prayer of thanksgiving as I walk upon the earth.”-Audrey Peterman.
“May the viral hope for truth and humanity wash away the chaos of these years.”-S.C., Bette community member
“Something Sacred never dies in almost all of us, who can hear the invitation of Truth…”-words from a Bette Dangerous community member
“Nothing but blue skies from now on…”-Irving Berlin
🤍
