Joanne Dixon

Open Thread March 18, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 182023

Yesterday, I woke up to find that there had been a power failure while I was asleep. I don’t mind resetting the clock and the microwave, but I also had to reset the radio in the computer room, and that is a real pain. Both speakers fell; they weren’t damaged, but the first one knocked a full glass of water off the desk, drenching the desktop, the floor, and one of my sleeves. The one positive consequence was that it stretched me just right so that I didn’t need to use the TENS. Nevertheless, it is NOT something I want to do every day. The luck of the Irish was not with me (not surprising, since I have no Irish DNA – I have one redneck grandparent, but she was English/Scottish.) I did figure out how to send everyone a greeting card directly through the blog, and since TomCat did a two-day Saint Patrick’s Day cartoon sequence, here is your card to go with day two.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

PolitiZoom – Jimmy Carter Asks President Biden to Deliver His Eulogy: Will Trump Show Up?
Quote – Some people go very quickly after pulling all the meds that had kept them alive. Others? Well, they’re tougher, for all we know, Carter could live another six months. But he is preparing now and he asked President Biden, two of the finest men to ever live, to give his eulogy…. These two go back a long time. “When Jimmy Carter ran for president the first US Senator to endorse him was Joe Biden.”
Click through for details and speculation. You may have seen the headline, but, even if you’re as old as I am, you may not realize quite how far back the relarionsship goes. As for TFG, can we hope that some court will take that out of his tiny hands?

Robert Reich – How to stop playing whack-a-mole with the banks [Spoiler: Bring back Glass-Steagall]
Quote – It’s time to admit that banks that take in deposits are public institutions that shouldn’t gamble with those deposits. Regardless of size, no bank has the capital on hand to manage a sudden full-blown bank run. This is why, ever since the bank bailouts of 2008, the biggest banks have been “too big to fail.” And it’s why last weekend the government decided to backstop smaller banks, too…. The Glass-Steagall Act was the law of the land until 1999. It prohibited banks from making profits off of the deposits entrusted to them. I say, bring it back!
Click through for article – He doesn’t mention something I read elsewhere this week – that Glass-Steagall was repealed because “It worked so well, we don’t need it any more.” I wanted something to beat my head against.

The best analysis I have seen about the arrest warrant out on Putin (and one of his ministers) is that of Heather Cox Richardson. In order to get it up fast, I’ll just share the link.

Food For Thought
This is old – about 2 years old – but it seemed like a good time to remember it

Video Thread 3/17/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:43 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 172023

Glenn Kirschner – Georgia grand jurors say what’s coming Trump’s way, “Is gonna be MASSIVE!”

PoliticsGirl – To My Fellow Democrats… (And may I just say AMEN!?)

Ring of Fire – Capitol Rioter In Trouble After Lying To Prosecutors To Attend CPAC (You can stop @ 4:00)

Randy Rainbow – Life’s a F***ing Fantasy for Santos

Cat Does The Funniest Thing When His Parents Get Him A New Brother

Beau – Let’s talk about DOJ looking at specialized police teams….

Open Thread March 17, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 172023

Yesterday, I got an email from Move On, who have an insidious plot. They did not post the contents of the letter so I can’t provide a link, and will summarize. They want to put up three billboards with quotes on the route which Trump** must use to get to the airport, since his Mar-a-Lago heliport is gone. They want each one to highlight a different Tucker Carson text from the trove in which he admittied he does not care for Trump** This, they believe, will cause Trump** to post – let’s say shade – at Carlson every time he takes that road. This will cause Tucker’s viewers to leave him. That’s far more than they say even at the donation site. I think they don’t want the right to get even a hint of it unless and until it’s a done deal. That’s a pity, because it’s quite amusing, but it’s a good strategy. If and when they get the billboards up, we can share the details. Also, I got The New Yorker’s Name Drop answer from the first clue – and actually, any of the clues alone would have given me the correct answer. In this case it was just someone I know so much about that it would have been difficult to wrtie a clue whivh wouldn’t have given me the answer immediately.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

CPR News – As gun deaths rise, Colorado is trying something new — a public health approach to gun violence prevention
Quote – In a first-of-its-kind partnership, the Office of Gun Violence Prevention within the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment is teaming up with researchers from the Injury and Violence Prevention Center in the Colorado School of Public Health. They’ll create and maintain a resource bank of regularly updated and accurate materials regarding gun violence in Colorado. In addition to the resource bank, officials at the new office also developed a grant program to fund evidence-and-community-based gun violence prevention initiatives.
Click through for details. I really thought it was more widely known than apparently it is that guns are a public health problem. It’s too early to say what this iniriative will accomplish, but we can hope

The Conversation – The retention problem: Women are going into tech but are also being driven out
Quote – So, questions arise: Why does the technology industry have a retention problem? Why are women who are employed by the technology industry quitting in such high volumes? What factors contribute to this low retention of women in the technology industry, and what kind of support do women need to stay and succeed in it?… Mainstream media often reports on open-source software’s toxic “tech bro” culture. In recent years, high-profile leaders in open-source software have been exposed for their abusive behavior.
Click through for full article. Back in the day, women who went into male dominated professions knew we had to be tough and we prepared for it. Is it a drawback of greater societal acceptance in general that we don’t sufficiently prepare kids to cross invisible lines?

Food For Thought
Now, this is what I call trolling!

Russian state media: Finns will die of cold in winter due to cutting ties with Russia

Finns: pic.twitter.com/QYG51KRA3D

— Very Finnish Problems (@VFinnishProbs) March 13, 2023

Video Thread 3/16/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:55 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 162023

Glenn Kirschner – Michael Cohen appears before NY grand jury. Here’s why Cohen is the PERFECT WITNESS against Trump

MSNBC – Remembering women’s rights and gender equality trailblazer former Rep. Pat Schroeder (Yes, this is Mrs. Greespan. But the subject is Pat Schroeder, one of my heroes – She came up with the phrase “The Teflon President” for Reagan)

Farron Balanced – Trump Loses Defamation Case After His Lawyers Screw Up Again

Robert Reich – The Big Mistake That Led to Silicon Valley Bank’s Crash

16 Year Old Shelter Dog Starts Galloping Like A Puppy With His Foster Dad

Beau – Let’s talk about 3 debt ceiling scenarios….

Open Thread March 16, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 162023

Yesterday, I noticed the high for today should be 69°F – and tommorw, we drop back into the deep freeze for four days. March came in like a lamb here (a geouchy lamb, but still a lamb), which means it’s supposed to go out like a lion. Maybe a tame lion? I’ll just have to wait and see. Incidentally, today is the 55th anniversary of the My Lai massacre, and Steve Schmidt has some thoughts. I don’t know whether a hanky alert or a trigger warning is more appropriate, so I’ll just offer both.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

NM Political Report – Bill to protect LGBTQ individuals from discrimination heads to Guv desk AND Gov. signs safe gun storage bill into law
Quote 1 – The bill updates the language in the Human Rights Act, which was written in the 1970s. The updated language replaces the word “handicap” with “disability,” and updates the definition for sexual orientation and gender identity. It also ensures that public bodies, which receive public dollars, cannot discriminate against LGBTQ individuals. An individual who alleges discrimination would take their grievance to the state Human Rights Commission.
Quote 2 – Supporters have dubbed the bill the “Bennie Hargrove Act,” in honor of the 13-year-old Hargrove, who was shot and killed at Washington Middle School in Albuquerque in August 2021 as he tried to intercede in a bullying incident. Authorities say the boy accused of shooting Hargrove brought his father’s gun to school to commit the crime. “This bill would hold people accountable for their firearms,” Molina said during a news conference held at the Capitol on Tuesday.
Click through for one or both. When Susana Boxwine was Governor, we very seldom got stories about actual legislative accomplishments of any kind. Besides the conten of these two, I’m impressed just at how much they are getting done.

Remembering former Rep. Pat Schroeder in Colorado and beyond
Quote – President Joe Biden said Schroeder “stood up for basic fairness, sensible policy, and women’s equal humanity. “I saw firsthand Pat’s moral compass, legal mind, and political savvy when we worked together on the Violence Against Women Act,” Biden said in a statement. “She was the primary sponsor in the House; I led the charge in the Senate. Together, we got it done. With Pat as my partner, I never doubted that we would.”
Click through for full obit. There’s a lot in it that I didn’t remember, and one or two things maybe missing that I did remember. She was first elected in ’72, I settled in Colorado in ’76, and Focus on the Family was founded in ’77. Would I have come if I had known about that last one? I don’t know. It’s quite possible, certainly.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 3/15/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:58 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 152023

Raw News and Politics – Trump Investigations – March 13, 2023 Updates (Glenn skipped a day over the weeekend. So far I’ve kept up, butit’s getting tougher, so I’m throwing this in. She’s not an attorney, or at least I don’t think so, but for that very reason she’s willing to share a little speculation which Glenn wouldn’t touch.)

The Lincoln Project – Only Way

MSNBC – Now Trump is suggesting Pence is responsible for Jan. 6 (Domestic abuser: :She made me hit her!)

Ring of Fire – Republican Groomers Kill Bill To Ban Child Marriages

Picky Senior Cat Only Eats When She’s Being Pet

Beau – Let’s talk about Minnesota making moves….

Open Thread March 15, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 152023

Yesterday, between spending Monday sleeping late even for me, and having my BFF ome over to help me with some – for me – heavy lifting (and when we get together, it never stops with the object of the meeting. We always have lots to talk about. For one thing, she just completed training and qualified as a notary), I had to start from scratch. That’s rare – I almost always have a little something left over. But I also did some catching up (or getting ahead.) One of today’s short takes is from Substack, and if you aren’t a sybscriber, it will probably present you with a popup with the choices “Subscribe” and “Let me read it first.” Just click on the latter.

Cartoon – 15 J Caesar RTL

Short Takes –

In the Writing Burrow (Margaret Atwood) – What Is This Health Care, Earthlings? #2
Quote – Tommy was keen on publicly funded health care because as a boy he almost lost a leg to osteomyelitis. His parents couldn’t afford to pay for advanced treatment, but an expert orthopedic surgeon treated him without charge and saved the leg. As he said later, “I felt that no boy should have to depend either for his leg or his life upon the ability of his parents to raise enough money to bring a first-class surgeon to his bedside.” We do tend to take things for granted once we have them. But what was it like before public healthcare? Well, my children, I can tell you. I was there.
Click through fpr article. Ms. Atwood’s style is lively (as if we didn’t know that from “The Handmaid’s Tale”) but her areticle on Canadian Medicare – and what Canada was like before Canadian Medicare – is revealing. (To read Pat #1, click on the top line – “In the Writing Burrow” You may have to scroll once.

The New Yorker – What We Still Don’t Understand About Postpartum Psychosis
Quote – Postpartum psychosis tends to come on suddenly, often within four to six weeks of childbirth, around the time of weaning, or following a period of extreme sleep deprivation; it is sometimes presaged by anxiety and insomnia. A woman experiencing postpartum psychosis may show signs of mania, depression, or both; she may have aural hallucinations, paranoia, or delusions; she may stay awake day and night. She may, for stretches of time, appear to be perfectly normal.
Click through for details. I had heard of postpartum depression, but not of postpartum psychosis. But I also haven’t rread about postpartum depression for a long time. This appears to be yet another way in which the patriarchy short-changes women (and ignores the welfare of children.) Yes, there are women working in medical research today, as there are in virtually any field. But can you name one profession/occupatiuion in which the ethics have altered as a result of the influx of women? I can’t/.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 3/14/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:55 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 142023

Glenn Kirschner – Michael Cohen testifies in NY Grand jury; Trump refuses to testify in grand jury; indictment nears (Cohen is not a target of the grand jury before which he is testifying. A big difference – which Glenn taught me.)