Jun 152021
 

Well, still a little bit of tenderness and temperature around the injection site – but my actual normal temperature is so low that slight increas is probably right around normal. I’m now feeling confident and won’t mention it again unless something negative happens. So – now one to go. And now to business.

Cartoon

Short Takes

New York Times – Warnings of Democracy in Peril
Quote: [Senator Angus] King [I-ME] said the only reason voters lacked confidence in the voting system was that Republicans — especially Mr. Trump — told them for months that it was rigged, despite all evidence to the contrary, and now continued to insist that there were abuses in the process that must be fixed. “That’s like pleading for mercy as an orphan after you killed both your parents,” he said.
Click through for the full article. There is a paywall but you get one or two free articles a month.

The 19th – Barack Obama: Women have found themselves “in an impossible situation” – from a socially distanced interview
Quote – I’m just incredibly proud of the kind of human beings Sasha and Malia have become. Of course, like all of us, they followed the protests around our country. They got involved. And we had conversations about all of it. My advice to them is the same as it is to all young people, which is that protesting — raising public awareness, putting a spotlight on injustice, making the powers that be uncomfortable — that kind of civil disobedience couldn’t be more important. Throughout our history, that has often been the only way to get the political system to pay attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, I tell them, movements have to be translated into laws and policies — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands. Basically, my advice is to reject the false choice between participating in protests and politics. Do both!
Click through for the rest of what made it in to the interview.

Rolling Stone – Al Franken – Tax the Rich! Also the Very Affluent! But Mainly the Rich!
Quote: Biden is eager for the infrastructure bill to be a bipartisan effort, however, and has been negotiating with Republicans to find a deal everyone can feel good about. But if the Obama years are any indication, Republicans will only feel good if a Democrat in the White House fails. So we shouldn’t hold our breath. Democrats can pass an infrastructure bill through the fast-track reconciliation process if they need to, which only requires a simple majority of 51 votes to pass, which still may prove difficult but is a lot more doable. Because Mitch McConnell naturally doesn’t like any of Biden’s big plans one bit.
Click througfh for a very clearly explained article.

Food for Thought

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  12 Responses to “Open Thread for June 15, 2021”

  1. Good to hear you’re having no major issues WRT vaccination. I had a sore arm at my injection site w/ the first shot of Pfizer. But had NOTHING w/ the second shot.

    The “Statement of Concern” signed by 188 scholars delineating Rethuglicans’ attacks on our democracy is only ten paragraphs long – so an easy read.

    But this is the one that stands out for me:

    Statutory changes in large key electoral battleground states are dangerously politicizing the process of electoral administration, with Republican-controlled legislatures giving themselves the power to override electoral outcomes on unproven allegations should Democrats win more votes. They are seeking to restrict access to the ballot, the most basic principle underlying the right of all adult American citizens to participate in our democracy. They are also putting in place criminal sentences and fines meant to intimidate and scare away poll workers and nonpartisan administrators. State legislatures have advanced initiatives that curtail voting methods now preferred by Democratic-leaning constituencies, such as early voting and mail voting. Republican lawmakers have openly talked about ensuring the “purity” and “quality” of the vote, echoing arguments widely used across the Jim Crow South as reasons for restricting the Black vote.

    https://www.newamerica.org/political-reform/statements/statement-of-concern/

    Al Franken is right.  There’s no doubt that the tax laws as created by the GQP have always favored the wealthy.  They need to start paying their fair share to at least move the scale closer to equilibrium.

    • I find it difficult to beieve that some of these legislative will stand up even the current courts.  Ceetainly right wing jurists are soft oncutting early ans mail voting and other accessability, but the rest of it really feels like a bridge too far.  In this case, I’d love to be right – or, if wrong, wrong in the right direction.

  2. Cartoon: The R’s gotta ruin everything, don’t they? Great pic, btw!
    NYT: Plain and simple here….scary! 
    The 19th: Such a wonderful and refreshing interview with Mr. Obama. Great article. 
    FFT: Good one! 
    Good that you are recovering nicely. I know I’m glad that the vaccines are done with all family members here. Hope all who visit here at PP, are healthy with their covid shots too. 

    THIS JUST IN: “Alex Jones paid $500,000 to organize the insurrection on January 6th and he admits to getting his marching orders from Donald Trump. They literally sponsored a domestic terrorist attack on our nation’s capital. Arrest them.” ~ Fifty Shades of Whey ~
    2. “I had a great meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel today. The ties between our two nations are stronger than ever — and I’m excited to welcome her to the White House next month to continue our work.”  ~  President Joe Biden ~
    3. Five years ago, we suffered the deadliest attack affecting the LGBTQ+ community in our history. Within minutes, Pulse Nightclub turned from a place of acceptance and joy to a place of unspeakable pain. As we remember those we lost, we must recommit to honoring them with action.” ~ President Joe Biden ~
    4. G7 Meeting this week: French President Macron smiles, laughs, and answers, “‘Yes. Definitely. Definitely, ” when asked if America is back'”. ~ Sarah Reese Jones ~ 
    5. “Putin and Republicans in Congress use the same language when describing Trump, so it sounds a lot like Republicans are using Russian talking points.” ~ Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) ~

    • TJI#!: Despicable. Arrest him and all of the others who took directions from tRump. 
      TJI#2: Way to go President Biden. You know how to interact with others/country leaders. 
      TJI#3: Sad day. They shall always be remember. We must stand together.
      TJI#4: I can understand why he’s happy…. No more tRumpy bullsh*t. Hallelujah. 
      TJI#5: Stinking R’s. They’re not leaders, they’re followers. Totally worthless. Vote them out. 

    • That cartoon is an old one of TomDact’s – in fact, he made more than one on Lt. Flipper.  I chose this one because t incudes the “Republican response.”

      TJI #1 – When I read Alex Jones said he “received his marching orders from Trump**” I wondered “what marching orders? I didn’t think he was there,” but wasn’t interested enough to look into it. Five hundred grans, eh? I’m sure he can rack all of that much up in attorneys’ fees and will regret it on that ground alone.
      TJI #2 – I gather she is retiring when her term ends. I hope they don’t replace her with an iniot. She has been a rock.
      TJI #3 – It really is sad that we are so hing up on gender as something which defines us – and sexual orientation as another. However, since we learn how we see ourselves as a part of growing up, and it’s pretty much unsppoken, it can be difficult to even realize there’s an issue. But it certainly affects, sometimes even defines the wat we see others – and seldom for the netter.
      TJI #4 – The entire world can see it. (They may ee see it too well. If they can see that clearly that we are back, it may be less likely to occur to them that we still need hel, that this is not over.
      TJI #5 – Connolly is no fool.

  3. Here’s something I missed – TJI –

    Reality Winner is free!

  4. Cartoon: Show some respect you Racist R’s.  
    NYT: Leave it to the bas*ard tRump to fill people’s minds with pure hogwash. It amazes me how stupid his followers are. What makes it even uglier now, is how the states with Repugs leaders are illegally changing the rules.
    The 19th: I enjoyed watching past President Obama on CNN and another show. He speaks wise words. 
    RS: Agree with Al Franklin. The rich have gone way too long with not paying their fair share of taxes. Something definitely has to change regarding this issue.
    Food for Thought: Seems fair.
    Hope your arm gets to feeling better and that you don’t have any other issues. I had the Pfizer vaccine and didn’t have any reaction to the two shots. My family member had the Pfizer vaccine too and a couple of them had a sore arm for a few days. We each had it in our dominant arm. The person giving the shot recommended it, saying that way we’d be moving the arm more.
    Take care. Thanks Joanne

  5. Cartoon: Makes you wonder how Henry Flipper ever got in.

    NYT: Mr King sure has a way with words and he hits those nails exceedingly accurate with them.

    BO: Still miss the guy. Even Biden is left in his shadow.

    RS: After a few years on the sideline Al Franken is making his way back into the limelight a little. As far as I’m concerned he deserves to be there.

    FFT: Sound like a plan, but I’m not sure it would help much. Republicans have the tendency to expunge the downtrodden and poor from the voting lists. They wouldn’t pay much taxes to start with, so if they refuse to pay taxes when their names are expunged, Republicans would hardly notice.

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