Joanne Dixon

Jun 242022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s pressure campaign on state election officials & his conspiracy w/DOJ official Jeffrey Clark

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Shocking Republican ‘RINO Hunting’ Ad

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party 6/21

MSNBC – Former Watergate Prosecutor: Trump Could Be Indicted In GA Over Coup Plot

Farron Balanced – Marjorie Taylor Greene Melts Down As Aide Who Defaced Her Signs Isn’t Prosecuted

Beau – Let’s talk about how Republicans create demand for strict gun laws….

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Jun 242022
 

Yesterday, I watched the fifth hearing from the Jan6 Committee. Again, we saw powerful Republicans give testimony about a plot they would not go along with. I know a lot of Democrats are – for lack of a better word – discounting their character because they are still Republicans who voted for him wna would do so again. And that is certainly true – and I would not vote for them certainly. But, especially in the current state of the Republican Party, to me their adherence to their oaths serves to enhance rather than to detract from the courage of their behavior. Sure, there ideas are nuts and I would not want them in the legislature – but in an office such as Acting Attorney General, would you rather have a Jeff Rosen (Republican) or a Rod Blagojevich (Democrat)? Not wanting them to legislate their crazy ideas doesn’t mean I can’t recognize their principles. No one is 100% good or 100% evil (well, except maybe a very few – Trump** and Putin come to mind) and we need to at least look at people as being fully human if we have to deal with them at all – let alone communicate with them.

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Short Takes –

PolitiZoom (“Murfster35”) – The J6 Committee. The Gift That Keeps On Giving. Even AFTER The Midterms?
Quote – But here’s the McGuffin. The DOJ has a rock hard rule that used to be observed up until the reign of that moron James Comey that the DOJ doesn’t announce either investigations or indictments in a general election season, in order to avoid appearing to put their fingers on the scale. Under Merrick Garland, one can only hope and pray that that rule still holds true. Which could end up being disastrous news for the state GOP caucuses. Because while Trump and his criminal cabal in DC were willing to blab to almost everybody about their schemes, when it came to the states themselves, they were more selective, if not secretive.
Click through for his reasoning. It’s probably true that in most cases, in and out of government, that silence indicates inaction. But that isn’t universal. Murfster could well be correct.

The 19th – Senators are pushing TSA to clarify its rules around breast milk and formula at airport security
Quote – The issue is one of health and safety: Nursing parents typically need to express milk every two to four hours. Failing to pump could have health consequences for the parent, leading to extreme discomfort, pain, plugged milk ducts or a bacterial infection called mastitis. The milk also needs to be refrigerated within four hours to avoid adverse health effects for the baby which could include vomiting, fever and diarrhea. All of that is even more critical now as a nationwide formula shortage continues. It will likely be months before formula stock returns to normal levels in the United States after a major plant closure in February set off massive shortages that have cut into as much as 90 percent of stock in some states.
Click through for story. I have a solution to propose – put the TSA under the Department of Transportation. We have a Transportation Secretary who knows a thing or two about feeding infants. In fact, “Department of Homeland Security” sounds fascost and does unnecessary things, why don’t we get rid of it and relocate its useful functions.

Food For Thought

 

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Jun 232022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Who is on John Eastman’s pardon list & why did Sen. Grassley say he, not Pence, would preside on 1/6

Meidas Touch – Rep. Katie Porter EXPOSES Big PHARMA scam in epic SMACK DOWN you can’t miss

The Lincoln Project – 40 Feet

MSNBC – Lawrence: Trump Can’t Understand Why GOP Officials Wouldn’t Steal 2020 For Him

Rebel HQ – Veteran ROASTS Right-Wing Gun Nuts

Beau – Let’s talk about New Mexico, foreshadowing, and the committee….

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Jun 232022
 

Yesterday, I did some recovering and braced myself to be ready for tomorrow’s hearing. I did a little knitting – making some headbands with scraps of corron and cotton blend yarn that will just fir around my head at forehead level, which I can wet down and refrigerate for the days when th ceiling fan in the den isn’t enough. I had tried before, but they were always too big and wouldn’t stay put. but after making three now with smaller stitch counts, I have it right The old, too big ones, though, I’ll wet down and refrigerate to go around my neck, sort of like cowls, if I need that extra. Just for getting cool, they won’t be any use as ice packs for arthritis – they’re not thick enough. It’s was a bit cooler, so it seemed like a good time to make them – no pressure.

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Short Takes –

Gizmodo – Hundreds of Little Blue Penguins Are Washing Up Dead in New Zealand Amid an Ocean Heatwave
Quote – New Zealand Department of Conservation post-mortem examinations revealed many of the birds were particularly vulnerable juveniles. The young penguins died of starvation and hypothermia, with no fat to help them hold onto heat in the water. Counterintuitively, seabirds dying of cold corresponds with hotter ocean temperatures caused by both climate change and the weather phenomenon La Niña, a Depart of Conservation representative, Graeme Taylor, told RNZ.
Click through for details. The quote uses the word “counterintuitive” (which is actually true of hypothermia in other ways too), and it strikes me that, in so many ways the things we need to do in the face of climate change are counterintuitive as well. Which is why it is so important to get solid science – exactly what people want to ignore. Sigh.

The New Yorker – Putting the Backlash Against Progressive Prosecutors in Perspective
Quote – In San Francisco, Chesa Boudin—a reform-minded district attorney—was recalled by voters by a significant margin last week. Boudin had instituted a number of progressive reforms, from liberalizing bail policies to reducing jail populations through diversion programs. But those changes were buried by the perception that the city had descended into a state of chaos. His recall has been cast as a referendum on crime and on the public’s attitudes toward progressive criminal-justice policies. What were the voters in San Francisco blaming on Boudin? The New Yorker staff writer Benjamin Wallace-Wells recently wrote about Boudin’s recall. He speaks with the New Yorker senior editor Tyler Foggatt.
Click through – it’s a podcast, but you can download a transcript. It did not offer me any file extension, but when I went to open it, my PC gave me a list of programs to choose from; I selected “Notepad” and it opened right up. “Wordpad” also works, but Adobe Reader doesn’t. It’s valuable information for anyone who cares about restorative justice, reforming our legal and prison systems, and the like.

Food For Thought

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Jun 222022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Luttig, darling of the right, says Trump “clear+present danger.” Trump proves it in TN speech

Meidas Touch – Real Seniors REACT in HORROR to GOP Plan to eliminate Social Security and Medicare

The Lincoln Project – Juneteenth

Don Winslow Films – #HowToConvictTrump

MSNBC – Why The Jan. 6 Committee Hearings Are ‘Exceeding Expectations’

Beau – Let’s talk about sharks, screens, shifting thought, and Hollywood…. (Beau has been on fire recently. I cut one I had peviously selected, but am still abit behind.)

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Jun 222022
 

Yesterday, I brought up the live hearing, coming in on the testimony of the Speaker of the Arizona House, Rusty Bowers. I then watched the testimony of Georgia’s Raffensberger and Sterling. I had to return later to catch the Georgia election workers Andrea (Shay) Moss and her mother Ruby Freeman. as well as the opening and closing statements. You know, we have been talking about Republicans putting party before country. But with regard to this insurrection, we have been wrong. They were putting prsonal gain – probably in some cases only personal whim – before both party and country. I’ve seen some people on the net saying, “I love it when they eat their oen,” I don’t. I don’t love bottom-of-the-cesspool depravity, and that’s what this is. Disgusting. And also dangerous. If they will eat their own, they will eat anything and anyone. We have also been saying they are moving toward fascism, and by the book they certainly are. But I question whether actual fascism is their goal, or whether tha goal is total chaos – a state with even less predictabiity than anarchy.

When I returned to the hearing at the YouTube link provided at house.gov (to the committee’s channel) I happened to notice that that channel has 29.4K subscribers. I know, not a lot in the scheme of things, but those are only the people who are watching at this channel. That does not include anyone who is watching at PBS, MSNBC/NBC, CBS, ABC, or CNN, or anyone who is watching with The Lincoln Project or Meidas Touch, and that probably does not exhaust the list of sources. Somewhere I also read even Fox is now carrying it (the implication being more than just on Fox Business), but I can’t verify that.

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Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Here’s What the Insecure Insurrectionists Don’t Get About America
Quote – America was not actually built on unlimited individual freedom, as a shocking number of Americans seem to believe it is these days. The foundation of our nation, the bedrock of its multi-century success, is the philosophy of democratic liberalism: the government will not interfere with your pursuit of happiness unless your pursuit interferes with that of other people.
Click through for more (including a point about the poem “America the Beautiful”), but the quote is the bottom line. I also feel that one verse of “America the Beautiful is not enough. I tend to focus onthe second verse (“God mend thine every flaw – Confirm thy soul in self control, thy liberty in law”), but the third verse may be even more important.

CPR News – A Colorado startup wants buildings to suck up carbon, one living concrete block at a time
Quote – His company’s proposed alternative is a “bio-cement” first developed at the University of Colorado Boulder. Inside the Colorado company’s warehouse, sand is loaded in block-shaped molds with micro-algae, which binds the material through the same process corals and oysters use to build their shells. The final masonry units feel like hardened sand castles. While the process takes energy, Burnett said algae absorbs enough carbon to make the blocks 90 percent less carbon-intensive than traditional concrete.
Click through for the interview – yes, it’s an interview, but there’s what appears to be at least a partial transcript. It’s good news locally but appears to have potential – and we need every possible step (and may already be too late.)

Food For Thought

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Jun 212022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Crimes of Trump lawyer Eastman exposed; will Ginni Thomas testify; DOJ demands all J6 transcripts

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Texas Water Shortages and Power Outages

The Lincoln Project – This Was Planned

CNN – ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ team arrested at Capitol

Guy Who Didn’t Like Cats Finds One Stuck In His Tire

Beau – Let’s talk about culture shifting and representation…. (So Simple – but ir really touched me.)

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Jun 212022
 

Yesterday was Federal Juneteenth in accordance with the Monday Holiday Law. CPR News reported that, as a rough estimate, about half of workers got the day off. CPR News also cited coverage by Denverite magazine of the Juneteenth Music Festival in the Five Points area of Denver, which, based on the photos and anecdotes, must have been a joy to behold. However, Occupy Democrats cited a Yahoo News story that 26 states have not authorized funding for the holiday That report inspired me to use the cartoon I chose today for Food for Thought. I remember thatit took forever to some states to recognize MLK Day also – and some I belive still haven’t. It’s a sobering thought indeed.

Cartoon – 21 0621Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Raskin Says Trump ‘Essentially’ Confessed: ‘I Did It And I’ll Do It Again’
Quote – “This public admission that essentially he wanted continues after laying out of all this evidence,” Todd said. “Is he confessing?” “Yeah, he essentially saying, yeah, I did it and I’ll do it again,” Raskin agreed, “which is what we have been contending all along, that if you allow impunity for attempts at unconstitutional seizures of power, which is what a coup is, then you’re inviting it again in the future.”
Click through for a little more including a short video clip. I wonder how Jamie got Chuck to ask an intelligent question.

The Daily Beast – This May Be the COVID Variant Scientists Are Dreading
Quote – A pair of new subvariants of the dominant Omicron variant—BA.4 and BA.5—appear to be driving the uptick in cases in the U.K. Worryingly, these subvariants seem to partially dodge antibodies from past infection or vaccination, making them more transmissible than other forms of the SARS-CoV-2 virus…. Eric Bortz, a University of Alaska-Anchorage virologist and public-health expert, described BA.4 and BA.5 as “immunologically distinct sublineages.” In other words, they interact with our antibodies in surprising new ways.
Click through for details. It also may not. But I believe it’s wise to stay on guard.

The Nib (Chelsea Saunders and Tristan J. Tarwater) Harriet Tubman’s Daring Civil War Raid
Quote:

Click through for as much of the story as can be captured in a graphic. The new $20 bill cannot come soon enough for me.

Food For Thought

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