Joanne Dixon

Video Thread 12/23/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:35 am Open Thread, Politics

Dec 232021

Glenn Kirschner – Trump Weaponizes Courts, Again: Sues NY AG Tish James in Effort to Stop Investigation of Trump Org

Thom Hartmann – Manchin Sours Bill But Biden Has Powerful Option

No Dem Left Behind – Happy Holidays from Richard Ojeda and NDLB!

VoteVets – Maj.Gen.(Ret.) Paul Eaton Discusses WaPo Op-Ed & 2024 Insurrection Threat With Chris Hayes on MSNBC. MGen Eaton has a good point. Sane people don’t tend to imagine the unimaginable (and aren’t very good at it when we try.) It comes much easier to wingnuts. I do thing the Pentagon’s announcement about revising rules and regulations with the goal of eliminating “expremists” is probably in part a response to that Op-Ed (or at least the announcement is; they were probably already working on it.) VoteVets has a series of clips on two of the three generals discussing this OpEd. I may post more.)

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party

Really American – Manchin BACKSTABS His Own Consituents

Beau – Let’s talk about BBB, the GDP, and Manchin….

Open Thread for December 23, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 232021

Yesterday just sort of melted away – gone before I knew it. I did get some amall things accomplished, but nothing to write home about. Of course going to see Virgil is far up front in my mond! Oh, and Pat has company, so she’ll be a little scarce for a couple of days.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Mother Jones – Mike Lindell Is Donating MyPillows to Kentucky Tornado Victims
Quote – But not to worry citizens of Kentucky. Mike Lindell is on the case! The founder of the MyPillow empire—and a MAGA world luminary—says he’s donating 10,000 pillows to Kentucky tornado victims. Those lucky souls may not have a house or a job, but they will now have pillows that Costco won’t sell anymore.
C,ick through for a little more insnity. This sounds like a business tax deduction to me. He will write them off as a donation at full retail value (which he could never possibly get for that many) and likely end up paying no taxes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had calculated the number to give with that in mind – just enough to zero out his taxes and not one pillow more.

Crooks and Liars – Surprise! Wingnuts Find A Vaccine They Like — Guess Why!
Quote – But apparently the J&J shot is good now because we’re saying that it isn’t — mainstream scientists have determined that it’s less effective than the mRNA vaccines against the Delta and Omicron variants, and it’s sometimes responsible for dangerous blood clots…. We don’t like the J&J shot anymore — so of course Wolf does.
Click through for more. What is more dangerous than an educated idiot? No, that’s not the beginning of a joke – it’s a serious question.

Wonkette – Jan. 6 Committee Invites Coup- Curious Rep. Scott Perry In For A Little Chat
Quote – It’s nice of Thompson to let witnesses know up front that he’s already got ’em by the short and curlies, in case Perry wasn’t already on notice that the committee had a whole bunch of his comms after Vice Chair Liz Cheney read that text saying, “Please check your signal” during the vote to hold Mark Meadows in contempt. The Washington Post confirms that Perry sent that text to Meadows, who turned it over to the committee as a non-privileged document before he stomped off and quit cooperating. So Perry knows that Thompson and Cheney already have at least some of his comms.
Click through for more. Not that they don’t all sound alike.

Food For Thought:

Video Thread 12/22/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:57 am Open Thread, Politics

Dec 222021

Glenn Kirschner – Trump’s Newly Issued “Statement” Suggests that he Knows & Fears that Justice is Coming for Him

The Lincoln Project – Corporate Accountability

Now This News – Psaki Responds to Joe Manchin Not Supporting Build Back Better [She has the patience of Job.]

politicsrus – Voting Rights HD

Armageddon Update – Present Traumatic Stress Disorder

If Tax Prep Ads Were Honest

Beau – Let’s talk about Fox News and grocery stores….

Open Thread for December 22, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:44 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 222021

Yesterday, I slept in. However, I had done enough extra the day before I that I didn’t fall behind.

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Short Takes

Newsweek – Millions of Angry, Armed Americans Stand Ready to Seize Power If Trump Loses in 2024
Quote – One indication of how far Republicans may be willing to go in violently opposing the government is their sanguine reaction to the January 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Republicans by and large see no problem with a mob of hundreds swarming and forcing their way into the seat of American government. Half of Republicans said that the mob was “defending freedom,” according to a CBS/YouGov poll taken just after the insurrection. Today two-thirds of Republicans have come to deny that it was an attack at all, according to an October survey by Quinnipiac University. “There’s been little accountability for that insurrection,” says UCLA’s Winkler. “The right-wing rhetoric has only grown worse since then.”
Click through for the full story. The consensus at DU is that these “warriors” are all hat, no cattle. And don’t exist in the numbers claimed. (And even it they did, “millions” in a nation of 330 million people is in the neighborhood of 3% looked at generously, which would give us the advantage.)

Wonkette – Steve Bannon Isn’t Nearly As Smart As He Thinks He Is. And Neither Are His Lawyers.
Quote – Bannon’s legal team includes Trump impeachment lawyer David Schoen and Bannon’s old lawyer Robert Costello, the guy who told Bannon it was a great idea to give the House January 6 Select Committee two middle fingers and shout EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE, MOTHERFUCKERS. And if his name sounds familiar, it’s because Costello is the one who tried to dangle a presidential pardon to Michael Cohen via a mangled Garth Brooks lyric.
Click through for more. Wonkette sourced this from The Daily Beast, but I think the sardonic style adds something.

AP News -Pentagon issues rules aimed at stopping rise of extremism
Quote – Officials said the new policy doesn’t largely change what is prohibited but is more of an effort to make sure troops are clear on what they can and can’t do, while still protecting their First Amendment right to free speech. And for the first time, it is far more specific about social media.
Click thrpugh for more specific info. This is a very good thing. The U.S. military may not even attempt to reach hearts and minds (probably futile anyway) but is very cpmpetent at defining activities and prohibiting harmful ones. And holding individuals accountble.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 12/21/2021

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

Dec 212021

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Chutkan Imposes Stiffest Sentence Yet on Trump Foot Soldier Who Attacked the Capitol on 1/6

Don Winslow – Don Winslow Films – #JoeManchinRichAndShameless

VoteVets – Jonathan Capehart Discusses WaPo Op-Ed Featuring Three Retired Generals Warning Of New Insurrection [Well, this got real quickly]

No Dem Left Behind – TikTok’s school shooting challenge is PROOF we’ve failed our kids.

The Lincoln Project – Don Jr’s CPAC Speech In 30 Seconds

Karens Sing Christmas Carols – Put down any beverages before watching

Beau – Let’s talk about Earth’s Black Box….

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Open Thread for December 21, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:28 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 212021

Yesterday, although I had slept reasonably well, I couldnt seem to get in gear. I don’t know why that sometimes happens, but it certainly does. But I did get everything done eventually.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

npr: A tantalizing clue to why omicron is spreading so quickly
Quote – “Strikingly, Omicron was 4-fold more infectious than wild type [the original version of the virus] and 2-fold more infectious than Delta,” Garcia-Beltran and colleagues wrote in their study. The data suggests omicron may be able to infect people at a lower dose than delta or the original variant, Garcia-Beltran says. “That’s a very far-out interpretation,” he cautions. “But we think it will probably pan out that way, given that we’re looking at a variant with more efficient entry into human cells.”
Click through for details. Please ne careful out there.It might be well to go to N95 masks, if you haven’t already. Please stay safe. We need you. (And, no, I don’t know why they call the section “Goats and Soda.”)

The 19th – It’s OK to cut back on the holiday gifts this year. Here’s why.
Quote – At the end of the day, [Dr. Michelle Martel, director of clinical training at the University of Kentucky’s psychology department] said she always reminds people struggling during the holidays that they’re not alone — because a lot of people are struggling right now, whether it’s due to loss or financial stress or being overwhelmed by plans to meet loved ones in groups, and it’s only been made worse by the pandemic. And when so many people are carrying emotional and financial burdens, many of them made worse by a pandemic that they didn’t expect to be enduring for another year, it makes sense to find one less thing to worry about.
Click through for full analysis. There’s a fine line between responsibility and guilt, and it’s not always easy to stay on the right side of it.

Bloomberg – Biden’s Economic Performance Has Proved Unbeatable
Quote – All of which makes Biden’s first year in the White House the standout among the seven previous presidents, based on 10 market and economic indicators given equal weight. According to data compiled by Bloomberg, no one comes close to matching Biden’s combination of No. 1 and No. 2 rankings for each of the measures:
Click through for the measures and the stats. You get one or two free articles a month. If anyone needs a copy, I’ve printed a pdf. No one here needs me to tell tham about Manchin. But you might need some help on responding to it.

Food For Thought:

Video Thread 12/20/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:31 am Open Thread, Politics

Dec 202021

Glenn Kirschner – Roger Stone Pleads the 5th Before Congress. Should Congress Immunize Stone & Force Him to Testify?

Meidas Touch – Southwest CEO tests positive for Covid right after testifying against masks on planes

The Lincoln Project – Trump Won

Now This News – Couple Feeds Those Hard-Hit by Tornadoes in Kentucky

Really American – Traitors

The Late Show Presents: A Conspiracy Carol

Beau – Let’s talk about the important question about the texts….

Open Thread for December 20, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 202021

Yesterday, I looked at “Law and Crime” for possible short takes, and it’s another day when it isn’t just filled with crime stories, but instead with weird crime stories. Like, not just murder, but “God told him to sacrifice.” Not just murder, but cannibalism to “cure his brain.” Not just hit and run, but fatal hit and run while fleeing another hit and run. A dude who committed a string of crimes who, when arrested, had a checklist in his pocket (not for the crimes, but for supplies to commit them, e.g. a lighter and lighter fluid to commit arson.) So I checked the almanac. And we were just coming off a full moon – waning gibbous 99% visible. Go figure.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Crooks and Liars – Rick Perry Sent Meadows Text Outlining ‘Aggressive’ Strategy To Invalidate Election
Quote – Members of the House Select Committee investigating the January 6 attack on the US Capitol believe that former Texas Governor and Trump Energy Secretary Rick Perry was the author of a text message sent to then-White House chief of staff Mark Meadows the day after the 2020 election pushing an “AGRESSIVE (sic) STRATEGY” for three state legislatures to ignore the will of their voters and deliver their states’ electors to Donald Trump, three sources familiar with the House Committee investigation tell CNN.
Click through for details (and a bit of background). At this point, what they actually know is that it was sent from his phone. He claims ignorance. I Know what I believe, but I also know a little bit about slander and libel.

Reuters – U.S. Senators Warren, Booker test positive for COVID-19
Quote – Warren, a Massachusetts Democrat, 72, said on Twitter she is vaccinated and boosted and regularly tested for COVID-19, and “while I tested negative earlier this week, today I tested positive with a breakthrough case.” Booker, 52, a New Jersey Democrat, said on Twitter he had learned Sunday of his positive test “after first feeling symptoms on Saturday.” He added he had “relatively mild” symptoms and recently had received a vaccine booster. “I’m certain that without them I would be doing much worse,” he said.
Click through for more, and don’t panic, they are both doing well, with only mild symptoms. Both have taken 3 shots.

The Guardian – Capitol attack panel will determine if Trump committed crime – Republican
Quote – Adam Kinzinger, one of two Republicans on the House committee investigating the deadly 6 January Capitol attack incited by Donald Trump, said on Sunday he was not “yet” ready to declare the former president guilty of a crime – but that the panel was investigating the likelihood that he is. “Nobody is above the law,” the Illinois congressman told CNN’s State of the Union. “And if the president knowingly allowed what happened on 6 January to happen, and, in fact, was giddy about it, and that violates a criminal statute, he needs to be held accountable for that.”
Click through. The headline promises a little more than the quotes deliver, but not much. Cheney and Kinzinger are two extremely unusual Republoicans.

Food For Thought (actually, no wine needed):

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