Yesterday was too overcast tto play with electricity, but if I can’t get it started today, I’ll rearch tonight and get a battery delivered tomorrow.
Cartoon –
Short Takes
Lucian Truscott is a sixth great grandson of Thomas and Martha Jefferson. He recently published in his newsletter blog a picture of himself with his sixth cousin, Shannon Lanier, a sixth great grandon of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings. You can read the accompanying article at the link. I also took the liberty of adding his newsletter to our blogroll (on the left). You might also enjoy an article there entitled “Court-martial Flynn’s worthless seditious ass.” I certainly did. But there are many others as well.
The Hill – Experienced staff promote effective lawmaking
Yes, this is an opinion piece, but that doesn’t automatically make it fluff. And, yes, it’s a principle that most people who have ever worked at a so-called “low-level” job know intuitively: nothing that gets done is done by those at the top. Important accomplishments are never one-person jobs. It’s a point I’ve alluded to many times, most recently in connection with President Biden’s appoiontments. But it is more broadly applicable. And the authors of this are just the guys who have the facts and the statistics to prove it.
Members of Congress are wrestling with the 97 bipartisan recommendations put forward last year by the newly reestablished Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. Among them are proposals to increase legislative staff pay. Supporters argue that salary increases are needed to recruit and retain the best legislative aides. Yet, the public is skeptical about spending more on Congress, which they judge as not doing a very good job.
At the Center for Effective Lawmaking, we know that with respect to congressional staff, we get what we pay for. We find that retaining experienced legislative staff is crucial to Congress doing its job better, in terms of lawmaking effectiveness.
Click through for more.
This is the 77th anniversary of D-Day. In looking for some kind of retrospective, I discovered that there is a National D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA, which is just winding up a three-day commemoration. I don’t think anyone who reads here is close enough to Bedford to vvisit (besides the fact that it’s already 2/3 over), but you can find more information if you click through. And I find it gratifying that it exists.
Food for Thought:
15 Responses to “Open Thread for June 6, 2021”
Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.
Cartoon: Yes. Sad.
The Hill: Excellent article.
National D-Day Memorial: Will have to watch. How appropriate and sad in commemorating this event.
Food for Thought: Thank the Lord. Giggle!…LOL
Sounds good. Hope that you get a new battery, best to you in doing so.
*This just in: “Vaccinations are up and COVID cases are down. Job growth is up and unemployment is down. Help is here and @POTUS’s economic plan is working! ~ Congressman Eric Swalwell ~
2. FYI – “FaceBook suspending TOT until 2023. Also, on another note – McGahn (former WH counsel) is testifying behind closed doors.”- pb –
3. “Both Biden and Trump have outwardly contended that corruption is a festering problem facing our country. But while Trump peddled it, Biden is trying to curtail it.” ~ Jessica Levinson, MSNBC
4. “Remember, that all through history, there have been tyrants and murderers, and for a time, they seem invincible. But..in the end.. they always fall.” ~ Mahatma Gandhi ~
5. “TOT is the author of his own demise.” ~ Rebecca E. ~
TJI #1 – Eric is one of the numerous Democratic Congresspersons who IMO are true heroes. They tell the truth, they tell it incisively, and they won’t shut up, no matter how much Republican feces gets thrown at them. Thank heaven he’s not alone. Ted Lieu. Katie Porter. Ilhan Omar. And others. You know, the ones who, when you see someone quote a Tweet of theirs you know you need to read it.
TJI #2 – I suspect Zuckerman is hoping that between now and then, something will happen such that they won’t need to make it permanent. An Glenn Kirschner addresses the importantce of McGahn’s testimony in today’s thread.
TJI #3 – Well, sort of. What Trump** was, and is, trying to do is to convince the mation (and if possible the world) that openness and ethics are the trus corruption, and that his corruption is above reproach. Sadly, for too many Republicans, he has pulled it off.
TJI #5 – From Rebecca’s keyboard to God’s monitor!
TJI #5: I’m keeping my fingers crossed it’ll come true.
TjI#1: Nice to read that our country is finally getting back to some what normal again. Wish the rotten R’s/GOPs would be on board.
TJI#2: I’ve been praying that all of these charges that are against tRump, will finally hit and get him placed where he belong…in prison.
TJI#3: tRump admitting corruption? He was never out to do anything about it, since that’s all he did and still does.
Truscott: I hit the link, and was amazed at what you have led me to…wonderful!
The Hill: Sounds like simple good sense, but then….
D Day is so full of meaning, so full of true Antifa, as shown, here, yesterday!
Daily News: My system can not open a page for the paper’s front page, but if this is the real stuff, it’s priceless!
I’m so sorry – I didm’t link to the pae. It was the graphic that everyone was giggling about – a “Trump** emoji”. (To go with the “poop emoji”)
TJI#1: That’s why Faux News was focused on Hunter Biden, again, the other day…they have nothing else to spit out at their idiot fans.
TJI#2: Love them both!
TJI#3: But, TOT does not simply peddle it, he lives it!
TJI#4: MLK’s “The arc of history.”
TJI#5: As in the past, his decision to run for POTUS was the worst one of his sick life.
Truscottt: Great article. Really sad to continue reading how much hatred exists toward non whites. I wish people would be thankful to be alive and treat others with respect no matter what their skin color/nationality is.
The Hill: Excellent plan. Hopefully one they can accomplish.
Food for Thought: Way to go. Now lets get other Social Media sites to do the same. Wish News channels wouldn’t show him either. He’s just an instigator who creates violence.
Good luck with getting a new battery. Please be safe.
Take care. Thanks Joanne
Truscott: While riding his piece, earlier, I clicked on “subscribe.” When I went back to my e-mail a bit later, I had received and-mail purporting to be from him, not a bot, thanking me for having done so.
I am going to send the link to my e-mail list, and 2 blogs. Anyone here might enjoy the blogs. This is the link to today’s edition of sheila Kennedy’s blog: https://www.sheilakennedy.net/ 2021/06/pride-month-musings/
This is the link to Heather Cox Richardson’s blog: https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/people/4875576-heather-cox-richardson
Cool!
Thanks Joanne. It wasn’t until Gingrich cut the budget for staff that we started getting reports of lobbyists writing bills for Congress…hmmmm…I’d much rather have staff paid what they are worth do so using facts and evidence instead of industry spin.
I got curious about Truscott and found this succinct history (Wiki identifies males of sharing his name were military back through Jr.): https://www.salon.com/writer/lucian_k_truscott_iv…
Also saw he riled up the right wing during Nixon era with critiques of the military–one even attacked him in the press (not Fox but I refuse to share such venom).
In France, the UK’s memorial finally is present in Normandy and was unveiled today:https://www.dw.com/en/normandy-d-day-commemorations-muted-by-pandemic/a-57793915
Cartoon
Looks like Pres. Eisenhower was a Lifetime Member:
Now THAT is find. And a keeper!
Such an awesome find!!
What a treasure!!
Cartoon: I never knew those soldiers were called Antifa.
LT: It was rather shocking to read that only six out of more than a hundred direct descendants of Thomas and Martha Jefferson, i.e. their white descendants, voted against inviting their cousins, i.e. the mixed-race descendants of Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings, to their reunions. That Lucian Truscott received death threats for even suggesting it from people who thought that it soiled the legacy of Jefferson, was far beyond the pale.
TH: I think the reason the public is disgruntled with Congress performance levels has very little to do with the quality of the legislation that is produced rather than with the failure of that same Congress under the Republican yoke to vote on any of those proposed bipartisan bills.
FvT: It should be a lifelong ban; it’s the only thing that gets through to him.
I hope everything works out with the battery, Joanne.