Blog archive
May 2025
A Day to Celebrate, Connect, and Empower: Older Americans Month at Victory Park
05/30/2025
End of Life: You Do Have Choices!
05/30/2025
Get Moving, Pasadena Village: Walking Toward a Healthier, Happier You
05/30/2025
Music: A Universal Language
05/30/2025
Presidents Message
05/30/2025
The New Grammar Guardian of Pasadena Village
05/30/2025
Undue Influence: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
05/30/2025
Village Within a Village
05/30/2025
What do we do now?
05/30/2025
Status - May 10, 2025
05/10/2025
A Tribute to Dad
05/05/2025
A Tribute to Mom
05/05/2025
A Board Director Perspective
05/02/2025
A Death Valley Adventure
05/02/2025
Ask an Architect
05/02/2025
Message from the President
05/02/2025
My 15-Minute City
05/02/2025
Neighboring Anew
05/02/2025
Scam Red Flags
05/02/2025
Sir Beckett, A Woman's Best Friend
05/02/2025
Volunteer Appreciation: Giving a New Level of Love and Caring
05/02/2025
April 2025
At Dawn II
04/30/2025
Family Hunt for Our Old House
04/30/2025
Getting Mail, A Glimmer of Altadena Spirit Showing Through
04/30/2025
My Last Duchess by Robert Browning
04/30/2025
Mysteries, Yes
04/30/2025
No Exit by Bob Heinrich
04/30/2025
Pasadena Village
04/30/2025
Sunday Morning Coming Down by Kris Kristofferson
04/30/2025
The Pasadena Civic Center
04/30/2025
Upon Hearing Your Building is up for Sale by Gabriel Cortez
04/30/2025
Art From the Ashes
04/24/2025
Informal Discussion on Current Events
04/23/2025
Gratitude for the Village: Supporting Me Through the Fire
04/14/2025
The Log in Our Eyes
04/13/2025
Evacuation and Soot
04/07/2025
March 2025
About Senior Solutions
03/28/2025
Building a Bridge With Journey House, A Home Base for Former Foster Youth
03/28/2025
Come for the Knitting, Stay for the Conversation... and the Cookies
03/28/2025
Creating Safe and Smart Spaces with Home Technology
03/28/2025
Finding Joy in My Role on The Pasadena Village Board
03/28/2025
I've Fallen and I Can't Get Up!
03/28/2025
Managing Anxiety
03/28/2025
Message from Our President: Keeping Pasadena Village Strong Together
03/28/2025
My Favorite Easter Gift
03/28/2025
The Hidden History of Black Women in WWII
03/28/2025
Urinary Tract Infection – Watch Out!
03/28/2025
Volunteer Coordinator and Blade-Runner
03/28/2025
Continuing Commitment to Combating Racism
03/26/2025
Goodbye and Keep Cold by Robert Frost
03/13/2025
What The Living Do by Marie Howe
03/13/2025
Racism is Not Genetic
03/11/2025
Bill Gould, The First
03/07/2025
THIS IS A CHAPTER, NOT MY WHOLE STORY
03/07/2025
Dramatic Flair: Villagers Share their Digital Art
03/03/2025
Empowering Senior LGBTQ+ Caregivers
03/03/2025
A Life Never Anticipated
03/02/2025
Eaton Fire Changes Life
03/02/2025
February 2025
Commemorating Black History Month 2025
02/28/2025
Transportation at the Pasadena Village
02/28/2025
A Look at Proposition 19
02/27/2025
Behind the Scenes: Understanding the Pasadena Village Board and Its Role
02/27/2025
Beyond and Within the Village: The Power of One
02/27/2025
Celebrating Black Voices
02/27/2025
Creatively Supporting Our Village Community
02/27/2025
Decluttering: More Than The Name Implies
02/27/2025
Hidden Gems of Forest Lawn Museum
02/27/2025
LA River Walk
02/27/2025
Message from the President
02/27/2025
Phoenix Rising
02/27/2025
1619 Conversations with West African Art
02/25/2025
The Party Line
02/24/2025
Bluebird by Charles Bukowski
02/17/2025
Dreams by Langston Hughes
02/17/2025
Haiku - Four by Fritzie
02/17/2025
Haikus - Nine by Virginia
02/17/2025
Wind and Fire
02/17/2025
Partnerships Amplify Relief Efforts
02/07/2025
Another Community Giving Back
02/05/2025
Diary of Disaster Response
02/05/2025
Eaton Fire: A Community United in Loss and Recovery
02/05/2025
Healing Powers of Creative Energy
02/05/2025
Living the Mission
02/05/2025
Message from the President: Honoring Black History Month
02/05/2025
Surviving and Thriving: Elder Health Considerations After the Fires
02/05/2025
Treasure Hunting in The Ashes
02/05/2025
Villager's Stories
02/05/2025
A Beginning of Healing
02/03/2025
Hectic Evacuation From Eaton Canyon Fire
02/02/2025
Hurricanes and Fires are Different Monsters
02/02/2025
January 2025
At Dawn by Ed Mervine
01/31/2025
Thank you for Relief Efforts
01/31/2025
Needs as of January 25, 2025
01/24/2025
Eaton Fire Information
01/23/2025
Escape to San Diego
01/19/2025
Finding Courage Amid Tragedy
01/19/2025
Responses of Pasadena Village February 22, 2025
01/18/2025
A Tale of Three Fires
01/14/2025
What do we do now?
By Ed MervinePosted: 05/30/2025
Historians are everywhere: Youtube, Facebook, Substack and more. This is not new. The PBS News Hour has long had historians as regular guests, just don’t ask me to name them. That has changed. Most if not all Villagers know Heather Cox Richardson, professor of History at Boston University. Many, like myself, can list a couple other historians they follow. Fellow history buffs would agree, this is a good thing. But to be serious, there is more going on.
It is also reflective of the current gestalt. We live in troubled, uncertain and in many ways, terrifying times. It’s not clear if the near future will resemble in any way our recent past. The questions we ask of our historians arise out of the sense that our institutions can no longer be trusted and are collapsing. We want to know: how did we get here and what do we do now?
Joe Parker, a student of history and recently retired Professor of International and Intercultural Studies at Pitzer College, had the same questions. Joining the Village with his partner in 2023 and in typical Villager fashion, he assembled a discussion group to explore possible responses.
Authoritarianism in the United States, as Joe’s group is called, discusses “United States political leaders that attack the electoral system and that made statements that do not support the checks and balances of the constitution. [The group] will talk over the views of respected commentators who see movement towards authoritarianism in the U.S. and discuss ways for Pasadena Village members to get involved in non-partisan efforts to support the constitution.”
Joe is an excellent facilitator, skilled at stimulating discussion, avoiding rabbit holes and gently guiding the group towards meaningful insights.
Villager Valerie Jones perhaps says it better: “I like how Joe tries to remain neutral yet encourages everyone to voice their thoughts and opinions. I also like that he tries to keep people on track with the topic so they don't become overly verbose or lead the group in another direction. I also feel that he makes each person feel like they have something worthwhile to contribute to the group and that nothing anyone says is unimportant. “
For Jim Hendrick, the discussion group has provided insights into how we got here and what to do: “The situation created by Trump has sent shock waves through our fragile democracy. Joe is helping us understand how an authoritarian state develops and how an engaged electorate can fight back.”
- Everyone has their own list of action items. Here are my take-a-ways so far:
- Yes, we live in dangerous times. We need to remain alert, be safe, aid those harmed or at risk of being harmed.
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Stay informed. Find information sources we can trust. Here’s a partial list:
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Heather Cox Richardson, historian, can be found on Substack.
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The journalists writing for the Contrarian on Substack,
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The ACLU at www.aclu.org,
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Website: choosedemocracy.us, lots of useful information on what we can do now,
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Timothy Snyder, Historian and author of “On Tyranny,” and
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Robert Reich, professor of Public Policy at Berkeley, Secretary of Labor in the Clinton Administration, also on Substack.
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- Support civic institutions, congressional representatives, judges and law firms that are defending the constitution. Send them letters and emails for their work protecting democracy.
- Find a group of like minded people. Build a network of community groups.
- Find a non-violent path of resistance.
- Prepare for a long term commitment.
“Authoritarianism in the United States” was set up for six weeks only and the June meeting is the last. However, for several participants, the search for answers will go on.