Holiday – Politics Plus

Open Thread April 25, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:14 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 252024

Yesterday, the Arizona State House voted to overturn the 1864 abortion law, the one whose author has been so discredited. If it gets through the Senate, the Democratic Governor will, I am sure, sign it. Arizona appears to be on a roll – they also indicted some election conspirators, including Giuliani and Meadows. Also, my radio station was playing Passover music (it’s not till Tuesday night, but this DJ normally only works this station on Wednesdays, so next week would be late. (The rest of the time he works at the sister station whoch features jazz.) That made me think that 613’s Passover piece might be up, and it is. They are a group which makes videos for Jewish holidays, picking an artist to parody and then signing information about the holiday in a nedley of that artist’s works. This year’s is titled “Matza Mia”, parodying Abba (of course).

If you are looking for some really juicy news about what a fiasco Trump’s trial is being (especially on Trump’s side), Mary Trump is your go-to source. This column is dated Wednesday, but looks back to Tuesday

Joyce Vance has links to trial transcripts and documents. This might be a good one to save as a fact-checker reference.

Open Thread March 31, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 312024

Yesterday, the opera was not an opera, but Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass. It is dramatic certainly (the Dies Irae alone takes 40 minutes to perform, and the whole mass is only an hour and a half), and Verdi was criticized for makng it “too dramatic,” but if you can’t be dramatic about death, what can you be dramatic about?

Three Substack writers this weekend posted articles which are profound, too much so to ignore any of them. Joyce Vance writes about Treump**’s latest threat of violence. Robert Hubbell writes about the real purpose of government, including quoting Lucian Truscott on the subject. And Heather Cox Richardson writes abot Russian disinformation, and how it it Russia’s strongest weapon against Ukraine, and also against us insofar as it affects our electoral process. I hate to be grim on what should be a joyous holiday – but unfortunately we can’t afford to ignore reality.

Senator Ron Wyden (the other Democratic Senator from Oregon) is asking questions which need to be asked – and answered – and that very publicly.

Open Thread March 19, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:27 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 192024

Yesterday, I got a couple of my hospital stay bills paid (with my HRA credit/debit card.) I haven’t paid them all because I haven’t gotten them yet – the hospital got my address wrong and then passed that on to everyone. I have like 8 MSNs (they used to be called EOBs), many have more than one provider, and one of them has so many providers it’s 14 pages. But the combination of Medicare and an HRA is a real blessing. Incidentally, today is Saint Joseph’s Day. Just two days after St. Patrick’s, and coming asthey do in the middle of Lent, they make a nice little break from Lenten fasting … if anyone is still doing that.

Robert Hubbell provided a link to a transcript of President Biden’s Gridiron speech. Unlike the White Hose Correspondents’ Dinner, video is never released from the Gridiron, so this is all we’ll get. FactBase, who posted it, attempts to provide reactions along the way. Remember, when you see negative reactions, that everyone there is a journalist. My reaction is very positive to thse remarks.

Viktor Orbán is in some ways more dangerous than Trump**. Unlike Trump**, he knows what he is doing and he is good at it. The meeting Heather Cox Richardson writes about was blatant subversion, and a public slap in the face to the United States (though it wpuld have been more public had the media bothered to notice it.)

A slice of Arkansas women’s history, through the telling by one woman who was there (and is now in Colorado.)

Open Thread February 14, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 142024

Yesterday, my ballot for the Presidential primary arrived. The election is March 5th. I’ve been avoiding going out the front door since my hospital stay, and even more so, avoiding the porch steps (the last time I ventured on them wasthe day I came home, and that was one way only.) But with that much time, and Trinette coming Sunday, I’m sure I can wait tll then. I know for whom I am voting, and it’s only one block to fill in, and if she takes it out the same day it comes in, it should get there in time easily.

I’m sharing this as a Black Histoy story because IMO there’s no doubt that it is one. You can make up your own mind,of course.

This is a crash course in foreign affairs. If that makes it sound difficult – it isn’t. And it explains a lot about how we got to this point. And it’s available for free to anyne, so you can share (you might want to mention scrolling a little for “continue reading.”)

Open Thread February 10, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 102024

Yesterday, I didn’t have to read up on the opera – in fact I may sleep theough it – because it’s not a full opera but a selection of love duets for Valentine’s Day. I am so much intp opera as a vehicle for storytelling and plot that I can’t get excited about selections. But if anyone is interested in a sampler, it bradcasts at 1:00 pm EST, 12 noon CST, 11:00 am Mountain, and 10:am Pacific. All of those are the same time. KCME.org will broadcast, as aell as WFMT.com in Chicago, WQXR.org in New York. I wasn’t able to confirm KUSC.org in Los Angeles (though as active as LA OPera is I’d be surprised if it doesn’t), but if you are listening on the internet, the sound isn’t any better from somewhere close than is is from the other side of the country.

I expect everyone’s heard of Trump**’s plan to alter the hiring criteria for Federal civil service so that he can fire anyone he doesn’t think is “loyal” enough and replace them with someone he thinks is. The Project on Government Oversight (POGO) takes a hard look at the implications of this here.

I know crap when I see it, and I presume y’all do also. But, sadly, Steve is still right.

This sounds glorious, but it’s not something I know enough about to address.

Personal Update January 15, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:29 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 152024

Yesterday was a quiet day for me. I slept late, while still making sure to get up in time for my grocery delivery, which was mostly accurate, and which the drivers (it was a couple) did help me get into the house so I wouldn’t have to step over the threshhold. There was one odd substitution which I haven’t figured out yet. But they did bring the fresh fruit I ordered (cherries and pears) and it was all in good condition.

Heather Cox Richardson, writing in Substack, has also addressed the brutal murder of a mother and two children by Texas Guardsman, under the eyes of Border Patrol agents, who were prevented from dong anything to save the victims’ lives because “state’s rights.” She has found a very telling quotation to oppose Abbott’s view of state’s rights in the writings of, of all people, Andrew Jackson – one of the last Presidents whom one would call “woke.”

I put Beau second today because I wanted to re-post this from 2021 to demonstrate that I was on the Pope’s side even before the Pope was. I have been since long before I made the graphic even. The problem with early Christian lifestyle and also with Marxist Communism is not their principles, which are sound. The problem is that for a society to actually live that way and sustain it is that everyone involved needs to be too good to live.

But I don’t want to leave out this one today of all days –

Personal Update January 10, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jan 102024

Yesterday I got a bunch of stuff done – mostly on the computer rather than with physical objects, but it still tired me. I guess whie I was busy, the Appeals Court looked at TFG’s “immunity” claim and apparantly those looks were all askance.

I thought this was kind of nice. I well remember Andy Kim starting on cleanup on that day.

The Theater of War has a new project called “An Enemy of the People,” using the play by Ibsen. “The play tells the story of a doctor who discovers the water supply in his small, rural town has been poisoned by a tannery. Despite his efforts to convey the truth to the public, the doctor fails to save his community from environmental disaster and is ultimately scapegoated for his whistleblowing.” Ibsen didn’t pussyfoot around the truth, as long ago as 1882. This sounds a lot like how Fauci was treated – and in fact Dr. Fauci will be one of the actors (the actors will change from one event to another so if you want to hear what he has to say you will need to checking cast lists.) The first two events are 2/22 and 2/24, and Fauci is scheduled in the 2/24 event but not the 2/22 event. This is the link for 2/24 (it looks like you might be able to scroll from it.)

Here’s my response to the “poop Nazi” telling everyone to get over stuff – stuff like their kids being shot in school:

Personal Update January 1, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:45 am Politics

Jan 012024

I shouls mention that this is the third day I have been able to keep food down. I don’t want to turn this into an aches and pains log – but then I shouldn’t have mentioned it in the first place. And it is getting better.

Meantime, I just wish I could do what this cat is doing

Happy New year, everyone.

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