Joanne Dixon

Open Thread for December 3, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:19 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 032021

Yesterday, I got the groceries put away. I finished all the cartoons for December. I put together and submitted the claim for reimbursement for my thyroid. And I puttered around a little with beads and pendants.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Crooks and Liars – Wait Til You Hear What Kimmel Called Tucker Carlson This Time
Quote – To scare grandma, they need fresh villains. So they zero in on this tiny, adorable, tired man, who has done nothing but good for this world. Dr. Fauci has probably done more good for the world than all of us in this room combined.”
Click through for what he called Tucker. What impressed me more was his description of Fauci, so that’s what I quoted.

The Revelator – Invasive Species Are Threatening Antarctica’s Fragile Ecosystems
Quote – We mapped the last five years of planes and ships visiting the continent, illuminating for the first time the extent of travel across the hemispheres and the potential source locations for non-native species. We found that, luckily, while some have breached Antarctica, they generally have yet to get a stranglehold, leaving the continent still relatively pristine. But Antarctica is getting busier, with new research stations, rebuilding and more tourism activities planned. Our challenge is to keep it pristine under this growing human activity and climate change threat.
Click through for details and prognosis. The Revelator is a niche publication, ;iterally all about saving the earth for human habitation, which means it’s very much about climate change and reversing its effects.

SILive – Honoring frontline workers and more: See how Jill Biden decorated the White House for Christmas
Quote – This year marks Joe and Jill Biden’s first holiday season in the White House as president and first lady. Jill Biden explained they were inspired by Americans across the country who remind us that “our differences are precious and our similarities infinite.” The year was also defined by the uncommon acts of compassion, bravery and selflessness by many — and the White House celebrates their service and sacrifice, Jill Biden said.
Click through for more. I wanted an article that was positive about it, which eliminated Slate and the New York Times quickly. I think most of us are glad to have a President and First Lady who are human and humane. BTW, I think the video – in the Video Thread – shows more detail.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 12/2/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:20 pm Open Thread, Politics

Dec 022021

Glenn Kirschner – Former DOJ Official Jeffrey Clark to Plead the 5th Amendment for Crimes he Committed w/Donald Trump

Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party

Ring of Fire – Corporations Are Using Inflation As An Excuse To Jack Up Prices For Consumers

Represent Us – Why We Should Make Election Day a Holiday (Look, I’m not opposed to making Election Day a holiday. But I am violently opposed to the idea that doing so will solve all out electoral problems. Frankly, that strikes me as elitism and privilege at its ugliest. Making Election Da a holiday will not enfranchise low income workers paid hourly in call centers, retail establishments, and places like hospitals and prisons where some one must work, holiday or no holiday. In fact, it may further disenfranchise the poorest, who are desparate to cover minimum expenses – time and a half or double time are a great incentive not to vote. Unless we also make voting by mail, no reason required, nationally available, safe, and dependable, and continue to support early voting and making more places available to vote, all the holidays on the world are not going to enfranchise the people who need it the most.)

Liberal Redneck – Liberal Redneck – SCOTUS and the “Pro-Life” Crowd

Brent Terhune – Black Friday

Beau – Let’s talk about a video for grown ups…

Open Thread for December 2, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 022021

Yesterday, I started working on cartoons. I need to make 10 for December, and 9 are in the first 17 days. I got some done, but didn’t finish. (I also needed to make a grocery order for tomorrow – which means tomorrow I’ll be putting away. Sigh.)

Cartoon – 02 1202Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes

Democratic Underground (Babylon Sister) – A day in the Life of Sue Republican
Quote – She arrives at her childhood home. Her generation was the third to live in the house financed by Farmers’ Home Administration because bankers didn’t want to make rural loans. The house didn’t have electricity until some big-government liberal stuck his nose where it didn’t belong and demanded rural electrification. She is happy to see her father, who is now retired. Her father lives on Social Security and a union pension because some wine-drinking, cheese-eating liberal made sure he could take care of himself so Sue wouldn’t have to.
Click through for full anecdote. This is not new – it was written some years ago as “Joe Republican” and credited to Michael Moore, but it applies to both sexes.

Crooks and Liars – Trump Is Now Placing Own Election Officials Across Country
Quote – Trump allies are also seeking to replace officials across the nation, including volunteer poll watchers, paid precinct judges, elected county clerks and state attorneys general, according to state and local officials, as well as rally speeches, social media posts and campaign appearances by those seeking the positions.
Click through for a little more, and through again to the Washington Post for still more. My state has laws designed to protect against nefarious behavior by anyone working the election, paid or voluntary (for example, a Republican poll worker cannot even go to the bathroom without a Republican poll worker going along, and vice versa). I’m sure the drafters of those laws were not contemplating perfidy on a scale like this … but they should help. In states which have them. I am seriously concerned about states which don’t have them.

The 19th – Supreme Court indicates it could eliminate a core element of Roe v. Wade
Quote – The court’s justices were also split on what the implications of such a ruling would mean for other major court-protected rights that are not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, but that are predicated on similar interpretations as Roe v. Wade. Those include the right to LGBTQ+ marriage, for instance, the constitutional protection for sexual intercourse between people of the same sex, or the right to use contraception.
Click through for solid reporting. Keep an eye on Justice Sotomayor. She seems to be the one asking the difficult questions. Although Justice Kagan is also not silent.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 12/1/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:26 pm Open Thread, Politics

Dec 012021

Glenn Kirschner – More Evidence of Trump’s Election Conspiracy; Meadows Changes his Tune, Cooperates w/House Committee

Ring of Fire – Republicans Think They Can Ride Moral Panic Nonsense To Midterm Success

Thom Hartmann – Exposing The Plan To Tear America Apart (He didn’t mention that this was Russian’s plan in uneterfering tiwh tht 2016 electon – to tear us apart along racial/ethnic lines – because they could. I doubt they cared about the racial/ethnic aspect themselves. They just wanted to tear us apart. And that was an easy way to do it. And it was after it worked that it started to get so much worse internally. Russia no longer has to tear us apart. We are tearing ourselves apart.)

politicsrus – Minimum Wage (Don’t get dustracted by the Rickroll.)

Really American – Sometimes It Is About Race

Bear brothers reunited for Christmas

Beau – Let’s talk about tweets, Russia, and that plan….

Open Thread for December 1, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:32 am Politics

Dec 012021

Yesterday was Giving Tuesday, and also the last day of November, and had I not already known that, I would have deduced it from my email inbox, which was well over 200 by 3:00 pm, and may even have broken 300 by midnoght. Next Tuesday will be a little heavy too, but not like yesterday. It’s only “Colorado Gives” Day.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Coooks amd Liars (St. Louis Post-Dispatch) – Editorial Calls For Investigation Of Cruz And Hawley
Quote – Hawley and Cruz were the only two senators to object to certification of Joe Biden’s clear victory in the 2020 election results, citing (with zero evidence) supposed concerns about the election’s integrity. That was the same baseless, toxic nonsense then-President Donald Trump had been spewing since before the election. Such talk whipped up the mob of Trump loyalists to attack the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Click through for more. My only criticism of this is that we have really got to stop saying “Trump** loyalists” abd start saying “Trump** cultists.”

New Mexico Poliitical Report – Study: Emergency managers should plan for volcanic eruptions in the southwest
Quote – The type of volcanoes found in the southwest are also different from those of the Pacific Northwest. While scientists monitor Mount Saint Helens and other volcanoes for activity that could signal another eruption, Valentine said the future eruptions in the southwest are unlikely to come from the same spot, or vent, where past eruptions occurred. This makes monitoring for future eruptions a bit more challenging.
Click through for more science. Well, this is interesting. Though not – they say – anything to stress about.

The 19th – What you need to know about the Supreme Court case that could overturn Roe v. Wade
Quote – The court has heard cases on specific types of abortion laws, weighing in on whether different types of restrictions and regulations violate that “undue burden” standard. But this case poses a different kind of question. It’s an outright challenge to the core protections established in 1973. In its legal filings, the state of Mississippi has argued that the court should overturn Roe v. Wade entirely and allow states to individually determine whether abortion remains legal or not.
Click through for history, details, and probability estimates. I hope I don’t need to tell anyone here that this is not just a women’s issue but affects everyone. Many of us are old enough to remember what it was like before Roe.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 11/30/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:02 pm Open Thread, Politics

Nov 302021

Glenn Kirschner – Prosecutors Push Back on Bannon’s Circus; Roger Stone & Alex Jones Prepare to Plead the 5th

The Lincoln Project – Road Map

Ring of Fire – The Republicans’ Next Attempt To Steal An Election Will Be Far More Successful

Every year some corporation or organization comes out with a commercialdesigned to celebrate something progressive, something progressive people care about. This year, it is Post Office Normay. (Tissue alert)

Beau – Let’s talk about the perception of race in the US from outside….

Open Thread for November 30, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:09 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 302021

Yesterday, my vision was back to normal when I got up, thankfully. Oh, and happy Hanukkah to all who observe it. It’s very early this year – I have already missed two days, for which I apologize.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Daily Kos (Kerry Eleveld) – Republicans are desperate to believe 2020 was ‘stolen’ from Trump. Nothing will dissuade them
Quote – But when it came to Republicans, 62% misstated the results of the sham audit[in Arizona], with 32% saying the so-called audit found evidence of fraud and 30% saying it probably found fraud, when in fact the report located no 2020 fraud. So even when a sham process initiated by GOP lawmakers, promoted by Donald Trump, and conducted by pro-Trump sympathizers finds no fraud, a substantial majority of Republicans reject and distort the findings.
Click thrugh for more numbers – if you need them.

AP News – Jan. 6 panel sets contempt vote for former DOJ official
Quote – The committee on Monday scheduled a vote to pursue contempt charges against Jeffrey Clark, a former Justice Department lawyer who aligned with President Donald Trump as he tried to overturn his election defeat. If approved by the panel, the recommendation of criminal contempt charges would then go to the full House for a vote and then to the Justice Department.
Click through for more. This vote is for Clark, as you see. Meadows’s turn in the barrel will come.

The American media misses the true nature of the GOP threat — but an international outlet nailed it
Quote – While I don’t care about [Candace] Owens, and neither should you, we should care about the use of the right’s rhetoric of slander, of which the word “communist” has long played a part in American history. Liberals and progressives first looked to the government as a force of social reform in the early 20th century. Around that time, the Russian Revolution occurred (1917). Since then, the American right has smeared liberals by associating their policies and objectives with godless communism.
Click through for details. As we know, left and right have nothing to do with authoritarianism, or its opposite Sadly, most people don’t know that. I’m sure that’s part of what stood in the way of seeing this.

Food for Thought –