May 162023
 

Yesterday, Andy Borowitz was doing straight news again: “Florida Teacher Arrested for Showing Disney Movie Featuring Boy Character with Girl’s Name.” Actually, I kind of wish the news from Florida were that mild. Joyce Vance has the real details.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – Meet the women working to grow local food systems on U.S. island territories
Quote – Through working on their presentation, the students learned of a national initiative … called the National Farm to School Network, and it’s a nonprofit organization that works to connect local farms with school cafeterias — a model that both bolsters local food systems and provides healthier school lunches for kids — a win-win for farmers and their communities. But the network didn’t reach the U.S. Virgin Islands, and [teacher Sommer] Sibilly-Brown remembers one of her students asking: If the program was national, why didn’t it reach their territory? “That question has been the question that has driven my work,” Sibilly-Brown said. “If we are the United States, why not here?”
Click through for story. Good for them. But this is another huge reason why our territories should be granted statehood. Far too much of the country thinks residents there are “not American.” And that just isn’t right.

In The Public Interest – Should we talk about the government?
Quote – I would also argue that some of the criticism of government—from the left and right–makes it harder for it to do the things that can only be accomplished if we do them together– through public action. In my book, The Privatization of Everything, I argue that, while people are understandably skeptical of “government,” many of the things Americans don’t like about government actually stem from too much corporate influence in politics. It’s important we continue to make that distinction clear.
Click through for full discussion.  In a free and democratic society, the government is all of us.  So, yes, we should talk about it.  If you don’t provide cnstructive input, you really have no right to complain when you don’t like the result.

Food For Thought

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Apr 032023
 

Yesterday, looking at the coverage, I decided thatright now we know as much about Trump**’s legal issues as we are going to know until he is arraigned, when the indictment will be unsealed. So instead of speculating, I’m going to feature other news today, and probably tomorrow, since I work ahead. So hopefully I won’t mention him again until Wednesday (with the possible exception of in the Video Thread.) So take a deep breath and go into a holding pattern for a while, and I’ll do the same. There is plenty of other news.  If you must speculate, or just really want to, I recommend Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” on her Substack.  She is knowledgeable and cool-headed, and covers a number of “if”s which are likely to upset some people no matter how they are decided

Cartoon – 03 Cell RTL


(It weighed 2.5# – just over a kilo – and was nicknamed “the brick.” But it worked.)

Short Takes –

SPLC – TRASHING THEIR RIGHTS: ALABAMA TOWN USES ‘DEBTORS’ PRISON’ FOR PEOPLE WHO FALL BEHIND ON GARBAGE BILLS
Quote – Even though the concept of “debtors’ prison” has been declared unconstitutional, the town of Valley was dragged into the spotlight for its practice of arresting people who could not pay their bills. In November, 82-year-old Martha Menefield was arrested for owing $77 for trash pickup. Her story went viral online, and national media outlets carried it through several news cycles because of how preposterous the situation sounded. But Menefield’s case was not unusual. The city of Valley has been arresting its citizens for years over past-due trash bills, adding hundreds if not thousands of dollars to the owed amount in fines and court costs by the poorest of its residents.
Click through for story. Sorry about the shouting headline, though I can’t very well maintain shouting is not appropriate.

DU (LiberalArkie) – Google Co-Founder, Other Billionaires Are Issued Subpoenas in Lawsuit Over JPMorgan’s Ties to Jeffrey Epstein
Quote – The U.S. Virgin Islands issued subpoenas this week to Sergey Brin, Thomas Pritzker, Mortimer Zuckerman and Michael Ovitz to gather information for its civil lawsuit against JPMorgan Chase & Co. over the bank’s relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, according to people familiar with the matter.
Click through for a bit more. The source of the story is the WSJ, but it is paywalled. My respect for the USVI continues to increase. Stacey Plaskett is the House delegate from there. She’s not entitled to a vote on the floor, but she’s so competent she was an impeachment manager over Trump**, and she’s a ranking member on at least one Committee. Statehood for PR, DC, and USVI!

Food For Thought

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