Glenn Kirschner – NY DA Bragg tries to double-talk his way out of his decision to end the Trump criminal investigation
Ring of Fire – Conservatives Have Complete Meltdown Over Oreo Cookies
MSNBC: “Extraordinarily Disgraceful” that American Officials would Support Putin, says Spanberger
Rebel HQ – Richard Ojeda SHREDS Moscow Mitch’s Lack Of Morals
Ths tweet is from Steve Schmidt of the Lincoln Project, and yes.
I’m begging people to watch and share this exchange between two of the finest Public Servants serving the American people in the United States Congress. This is the choice. It is as simple as @RepRaskin and @RepLizCheney have laid out. https://t.co/2dB6YpG0ez
Yesterday, the radio opera was “La Nozze de Figaro,” which is usually translated “The Marriage of Figaro,” but I prefer “Figaro’s Wedding.” Like a wedding, it takes place in one day, wheras marriage (hopefully) lasts a lot longer (in fact, from the third play, we know they were still married 20 years later, and still happy and healthy and looking forward to more.) Of course, as wedding days go, it may not have been the worst wedding day ever (the ending is happy), but it qualifies, I think, as the most frantic. I think my favorite part of it is the section which starts with Marzellina’s lawsuit and ends with plans for a double wedding – because the misunderstanding is totally unforced. The other misunderstandings (and there are several) are set up deliberately, by different people, for one reason or another. But the opera is full of great music and amusiong (and emotional) moments. Afterwards, my day was a scramble to get ready for today.
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NBC News – Two D.C. men charged with impersonating feds, several Secret Service agents placed on leave
Quote – The Secret Service is conducting an internal review of the interactions between four Secret Service agents and the two men accused of posing as federal agents, two sources familiar with the matter told NBC News. “We are looking into our people in terms of how their social circles collided,” one of the sources said. “We are only 72 hours into this review,” the source said, adding that “right now there’s no sign of nefarious activity.” Click through for story. Shades of “The Great Pretender.” They are lucky that this is found out suring a scary war and some criminal investigations of real government officials. In a less hyper time, no one wuld be talking about anything else. In a
related story …
Biden at war: Inside a deliberate yet impulsive Ukraine strategy
Quote – The Biden administration has stood up a second “Tiger Team” to internally game out different attacks and responses, but has been especially cautious about sharing any possible repercussions publicly. “We’ve had the opportunity to coordinate with our allies. We’ve had the opportunity to get organized internally. We’ve been clear publicly that Russia would pay a severe price,” Sullivan told reporters, flying from Brussels to Poland on Air Force One. “And beyond that, I’m not going to speak further to the issue.” Click through for full analysis. As a Vatican II Catholic, and also a person who is 100% anti-war right up until the moment it becones necessary to save the world, I think I can identify with where Joe is comeing from. Certainly, like him, I’m emotionally invested. That’s not to say that anything about it is easy.
The 19th – Older women voters may play a big role in the 2022 midterms, and they are not happy
Quote – “One thing that’s so remarkable about this current moment is the way that cost of living is just cutting across every demographic line,” Anderson said. “Cost of living is a challenge whether you are 19 years old, just starting off in the workforce, and are trying to figure out how to pay your rent, or if you are retired, on a fixed income and you’re trying to pay your rent.” Matthews emphasized that older women are tired of out-of-touch politicians, abstract campaign promises and hostility permeating the political climate. Click through for details. I find this terribly depressing. Ar e that many American women over 50 really so ignorant as to constantly blame the wrong people for what government does? If so, we are doomed.
Experts in autocracies have pointed out that it is, unfortunately, easy to slip into normalizing the tyrant, hence it is important to hang on to outrage. These incidents which seem to call for the efforts of the Greek Furies (Erinyes) to come and deal with them will, I hope, help with that. As a reminder, though no one really knows how many there were supposed to be, the three names we have are Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. These roughly translate as “unceasing,” “grudging,” and “vengeful destruction.”
I had some other ideas for this column but then i came upon this and it just dropped my jaw. The sponsor of this (“N. M.”) says, “I just received 16 brief essays by 15-17-year-old lyceum students from Kyiv and its suburbs on what they plan to do after the war ends. They’re written in English, and the teacher says she only made a few minor corrections.” I’ll let them speak for themselves. (just in case you haven’t already guessed – hanky alery.)
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Ukrainian teens’ voices from the middle of war: ‘You begin to appreciate what was common and boring for you’
A colleague from Kyiv, Ukraine, whom I’ll call N.M., sent me brief essays her students wrote on what they would do when the war ends. As both a scholar and a novelist, I knew that these voices, which expressed a beautifully straightforward and pure yearning for the simplest things that are lost in war, needed to be heard by the world.
The essays were written in English, and N.M., who has a master’s degree in English language and literature, told me she made only “2-3 corrections.” The students attend the 10th and 11th grades at a Kyiv school, are 15 to 17 years old, and hail from the capital city and its suburbs. The essays were written between March 14 and March 18, 2022.
Several themes run through most of the essays. The teens yearn for peace and want to do ordinary things, such as meet family and friends, take walks, enjoy the city. Daily routines have become extraordinary after several weeks of war. All intend to stay in Ukraine. Despair is absent. The students expect the war to end with a Ukrainian victory, and they’re decidedly proud to be Ukrainian.
Their optimism is all the more remarkable in light of the essays’ having been written in mid-March, when anything like victory seemed remote. Many of the students have also learned an important existential lesson: Life can be cut short at any time, and it’s imperative to live it to the hilt.
“Literally 2 weeks ago, everyone lived their quiet daily lives, but one night these lives changed forever. Russia attacked our cities and forced some people to leave their homes forever or stay in a dangerous place and live in a fear. But the horror cannot be eternal, the end will come, and it will be significant for our country. After our victory I will definitely meet all my friends and family members, I will say how much I love them. Also I will appreciate every moment spent with family and people of my heart. Also I will definitely help my country to recover what it lost, I will volunteer and after graduating from school, I will enter that faculty which will be useful for Ukraine. Now we can just hope and pray for the best.”
Like Diana, Masha yearns for the ordinary:
“Today the situation in our country is very difficult, and we understand that we did not appreciate our everyday life, our meetings with friends, and even a simple walk. … After all these circumstances, your views on life have changed, you begin to appreciate what was common and boring for you. After the war, we will all be completely different people!”
Dasha’s expectations are equally quotidian:
“When I come back home the first thing that I would do is play the piano. I will play as long as I can. After this, I will water my plants.”
Nastya, meanwhile, says,
“I’ll do everything I didn’t have time to do before the war. For example, I’ll go to the dentist, because it was that Thursday that I had an appointment with him for the evening. But most of all I want to come home to my peaceful and strong Ukraine.”
Anya’s discovered the depth of her patriotism:
“Every morning I get up and thank you God I’m alive. … When I heard explosions, I thought it can be my last minute. I will spend more time with my family and friends. And I will LOVE MY UKRAINE MORE THAN EVER.”
So has Sofia:
“We are strong, I am proud to be Ukrainian.”
Growing up fast: A group of teens listening to a military medic who came to teach them first aid on Feb. 20, 2022, in Skole, Ukraine. Gaelle Girbes/Getty Images
Vlad is also feeling patriotic:
“When this war is over I will be thanking our Heroes, absolutely fearless defenders, who have been protecting our country this time. I’m totally proud of them. Their behavior inspires all the world and this is wonderful. … Anyway, we’re winning this bloodshed and building new country with freedom for our descendants. … I hope, our culture will be the best in the world and people will start respect it.”
Hlib’s optimism is both religious and political:
“I think that the war will be over when God says, because everything depends on him. Also when the President of Russia is removed or when all the supplies run out and all the soldiers retreat. When the Russian economy will be completely destroyed and the revolution will begin. When everyone will stop being afraid of the President of Russia and will oppose him. But the war will surely be over soon. Because good always wins.”
Anzhelika’s expectations concern politics – and food:
“I pray very much for Kyiv, because this is an incredible city that I dream of returning to! And after the war, of course, everyone will get drunk, so maybe I’ll drink a couple of drops for victory. And I dream of eating sushi, this is my favorite dish, so I’ll eat them all week. And of course I still want to go to university in Ukraine and live in Ukraine with my friends and relatives. And I believe that after the victory, not Ukraine will ask to join NATO, but NATO to [join] Ukraine, because our people have incredible strength! Glory to Ukraine!”
Alina picks up on the theme of Ukraine’s strength:
“These three weeks of a continuous horror changed all of us. Some people were left homeless, some people were left without relatives and a huge amount of Ukrainians lost their lives for peace. But there is at least one principal thing, which is common for all of us: Our nation became stronger. We became stronger. … Everything will be tranquil again. Everything will be Ukraine.”
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A second Alina looks at the war’s cost – and how Ukraine will move forward in its aftermath:
“Sooner or later the war will stop. These events will leave an imprint in every Ukrainian. … Maybe we will bury many thousands of people, but they all did not fall in vain. We will remember everyone. Then we will renovate our houses, malls, museums. … Ukrainian will build their future in a progressive country. We will all develop and other countries will respect us. No one will ask anymore ‘Ukraine? Where is it? Is it in Russia?’ Our country will join NATO and European Union. In the end no one will attack us again.”
============================================================== Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone, if you can come up with a way for the people who most need to see and hear this to get exposed to it, you might save the world. Of course that is a continuing problem – and, in the U.S., getting worse instead of better. To what degree does freedom of speech include the freedom to be silent?
Glenn Kirschner – Is DOJ Investigating Boxes of Classified Documents Trump Unlawfully Took to Mar-a-Lago? Glenn is wrong – the 1/6 committee is not accusing the Justice Department of anything. It is the House Oversight committee which is complaining about the Justice Department. It is not Bennie Thomas but Carolyn Maloney who is demanding these documents at this moment. Clearly he is frustrated – likely more so than he says directly. I barely looked at the comments, so I don’t know whether anyone else caught that.
Meidas Touch – Psaki HUMILIATES Republican with perfect response to classless stunt during confirmation vote
Thom Hartmann – Will the Billionaires Be Able to Quell the Growing Union Movement?
RepresentUs – The Problem With Wisconsin’s Election Investigation
MSNBC – Trump Criminal Case ‘Ongoing’: NY Prosecutor Makes Unusual Statement (Ve-ry In-ter=est-ing.0
Guy Offers Hand to a Giant Octopus — You Won’t Believe How He Reacts
Beau – Let’s talk about Russian state media telling us what’s coming….
Yesterday, I received the first “gift link” I have ever seen from the Washington Post. (I’ve seen several from the New York Times, and I knew the Post had them too, but had not seen one until now.) It was sent by my cousin in California, who must really have my number. I’ll include it in tomorrow’s short takes, because I agree the story is worthy. And, even better, my new driver’s license arrived. I had verified that the temporary one would be acceptable if it didn’t, but I’m still thrilled to get it in time for tomorrow.(Of course I immediately scanned it and put the scans in my “Credentials” folder. And a copy on my laptop.)
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Democratic Underground (Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin) – Ammon Bundy headed to jail after Idaho judge says he ‘consistently’ defied orders
Quote – The gubernatorial candidate was found guilty of being in contempt of court Thursday after he refused to complete 40 hours of community service related to a July 2021 conviction. Bundy had argued that the stops made during his gubernatorial campaign satisfy his court-mandated community service. Ada County Magistrate Judge Annie McDevitt sentenced Bundy to 10 days in jail along with a $3,000 fine. He was immediately handcuffed and taken to the Ada County Jail on Thursday. Click through for a little more (including the judge’s chewing out.) This is cited as being from the Idaho Statesman, but only provided a link to Yahoo! News Yeah, ten days is not enough, but it is something.
‘Leaving victims with the bill’: Sexual assault survivors are often charged hundreds of dollars for rape kits
Quote – The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) — reauthorized last month as part of Congress’ omnibus spending bill — requires states to bear full out-of-pocket costs of forensic medical exams to receive federal funds for law enforcement agencies, courts and victim services. Even if victims are fully reimbursed later, states that allow hospitals to charge patients are still violating the requirements laid out for them by the Justice Department to access those funds. Click through for story. This is not a case of “There oughta be a law.” There IS a law (lapsed for a time, but back again) and it’s being regularly flouted.
The Daily Beast – Two COVID Variants Just Combined Into a ‘Frankenstein’ Virus
Quote – The first subvariant of Omicron, the latest major variant of the novel coronavirus, was bad. BA.1 drove record cases and hospitalizations in many countries starting last fall. The second subvariant, BA.2, was worse in some countries—setting new records for daily cases across China and parts of Europe. Now BA.1 and BA.2 have combined to create a third subvariant. XE, as it’s known, is a “recombinant”—the product of two viruses interacting “Frankenstein”-style in a single host. Click through for details. I am not a scientist, but do you have to be one to suspect this could have been avoided had the world been taking the pandemic seriously?
Glenn Kirschner – Ivanka Trump testifies to Jan. 6 committee. If truthful, her testimony would incriminate her father
Meidas Touch – Republican SHAMED for most racist campaign ad to date!!
The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party
MSNBC – GOP Smears Political Opponents As ‘Pro-Pedophile’: The QAnon Part Out Loud
Robert Reich – Full Testimony Regarding Corporate Profits and Inflation to Senate Budget Committee (Yes, this is long for this thread. But it is under 20 minutes, and the circumsytances are special.)
Stray Labrador Won’t Let Rescuers Near Her Puppies
Beau – Let’s talk about crime and peacekeepers in Ukraine….
Yesterday, I took out a 30 gal trash bag, and then ran the car for about 20 minutes. It started right up this time. Once I’m seeing Virgil regularly, I won’t have to worry between trips, since that is plentty driving to charge it for two weeks. even three. Also, while browsing the web, I found a (free) pattern for what the designer calls a “mask extender.” It’s just a little strip of knittine abour 3.5″ x 1.25 ” (which of course can be adjusted to the size of one’s head, and also stretches a little) with a button at each end, and it doesn’t actually extend anything – it just takes the elastic off the ears. Since I wear glasses, the mask elastic on the N95 really does annoy my ears. I don’t know whether they will allow me to take one in to see Virgil, but I intend to try.
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Daily Beast – DOJ Moves to Investigate Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Stash of Presidential Documents, Report Says
Quote – Sources close to the matter told The Washington Post that the procedures had just begun. The decision to investigate follows Chair of the House Oversight Committee Carolyn B. Maloney’s call for the DOJ to either act or allow the National Archives to disclose an inventory of the boxes so that her investigation into the incident can move forward. Click through for abbreviated story. The full story (such as it is at this point) is in the Washington Post so I’m paywalled out.
CNN – UN suspends Russia from Human Rights Council
Quote – “The General Assembly has sent a crystal-clear message to Russia’s leadership that a government whose military is routinely committing horrific rights violations has no business on the UN Human Rights Council,” Charbonneau said. “Gruesome images from Bucha have shocked people around the world. Victims and their families deserve to see those responsible held to account. Investigators from the UN and International Criminal Court should set the wheels of justice in motion by moving swiftly to gather and preserve evidence of war crimes.” Click through for story… which is being updated as necessary. Of course the ambassador from Russia objected. (Anyone know the Russian for “Karen”?)
Robert Reich – Why Republicans are obsessed with pedophilia, gender identity, gay people, and abortion
Quote – Most importantly, a culture war over sex allows Republicans to sound faux populist without having to talk about the real sources of populist anger — corporate-induced inflation at a time of record corporate profits, profiteering and price gouging, monopolization, stagnant wages, union busting, soaring CEO pay, billionaires who have amassed $1.7 trillion during the pandemic but who pay a lower tax rate than the working class, and the flow of big money into the political campaigns of lawmakers who oblige by lowering taxes on the wealthy and big corporations and doling out corporate welfare. Click through for column and podcast. Would it hurt to start calling them on it?
