Joanne Dixon

Video Thread 10/28/2021

 Posted by at 11:54 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 282021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Unjust Ruling in Rittenhouse Case; Can’t Say “Victims” But Can Say “Looters, Rioters & Arsonists” I’m very glad Glenn addressed this. He is nicer than I would be, but that’s enough.

Meidas Touch – We BROKE Trump! (I did post the ad previously, but here’s some context.)

MSNBC – January 5th Footage Turned Over To Authorities Yes, the FIFTH. You read that right.

Remove Ron – Inhumane

Really American – Congressmembers Caught Aiding Coup Attempt

Cracked – If Hard Seltzers Were Honest | Honest Ads

Beau – Let’s talk about nonsense and a Florida man jobs experiment….

Share

Open Thread for October 28, 2021

 Posted by at 7:27 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 282021
 

Yesterday, I figured I couldn’t wait any longer, and started looking for cartoons to re-use for November. To be pellucidly clear, I started, randomly, in 2013, and have just stayed with that year, and my plan is to move up thrugh time, re-using when possible, and coming up with something new if the one for a particular day is hopelessly dated (for example, there’s one about Harry Reid’s balls.) It looks like I’ll need to come up with 6 new ones in November, and three of them are in the first teo weeks. So I stated looking at history. I found events for all 6 of them. I made the first one and found pictures for the next two before I ran short on time. But that’s a good start.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker (Borowitz Report) – Trump Tells January 6th Panel He Has Diplomatic Immunity as Russian Official
Quote – While Trump waits to see if his claim of diplomatic immunity succeeds, he is also prepared to argue that, having once hired Rudolph Giuliani as his attorney, he would be justified in pleading insanity.
Click through. Good luck with that. (BTW, unlike many of Andy’s reports, this one is clearly satire. For it to be straight news, Trump** would have to have told the truth, and that’s imposssible.)

Oh Sh*t, Dallas Teacher Did A Critical Race Theory To The Texas Wingnuts!
Quote – There’s not the slightest hint of CRT in having students read and analyze a text; if the lesson was supposed to “indoctrinate” the students, it didn’t work, since if anything I think the kid goes a little too easy on Cato’s methods, and doesn’t seem especially bothered that the email urges district employees to report on each other — then again, that’s a common enough method of enforcing discipline among students, so perhaps the kid doesn’t know just how creepy the tactic is.
Click through for details. It would be great if this teacher could be cloned and placed in every high school in t America. Teaching critical thinking skills “has not been tried and found wanting, but has been found difficult and left untried” (G. K. Chesterton) for a long time. This shows it can be done. I particularly like SPACECATS.

How commercialization over the centuries transformed the Day of the Dead
Quote – In 2019, I talked to a grandmother building a Day of the Dead ofrenda, an altar with offerings for her family’s dearly departed that included candles, food, flowers, and festive decorations. For years she’d tried to get her grandchildren to help her erect the altar for their ancestors, to no avail. It wasn’t until they watched Disney’s “Coco” and saw sugar skulls at Target that they took interest in the holiday. Now they eagerly help their grandmother build the altar. Commercialization is and has been transforming Day of the Dead. But, from what I’ve seen, it’s also giving a new generation a chance to be proud of their culture.
Click through for story. It’s a good point. Also, a pet peeve pf mine is that people criticizing advertising for a holiday too early don’t cut purveyors of craft materials and supplies any slack. If I am going to make a hiliday gift, a week before is not enough time. If I am making several, so much more so. There are 99 (at least) things to criticize Hobby Lobby about, but advertising Christmas too early is not one of them.

Signature-worthy IMO:
Bill Pascrell and Elizabeth Warren are looking for co-sponsors to nail Trump** et al.
https://action.billpascrell.com/crimes/?source=211026_bp_crimes_b1&link_id=1&can_id=dd94559fa9486ce8a4824766af6a024f&email_referrer=email_1336070&email_subject=will-you-sign-on-as-an-official-citizen-cosponsor-of-my-political-crimes-act-with-sen-warren-to-hold-donald-trump-accountable
I can’t shorten it or it won’t get you there, sorry. After you sign you’ll be asked for a contribution but it isn’t necessary.

Food for Thought –

Share

Video Thread 10/27/2021

 Posted by at 12:09 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 272021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Rolling Stone Article: Members of Congress Assisted Insurrection Organizers; Gosar Dangles Pardons

Meidas Touch – Terry McAuliffe calls Glenn Youngkin ‘Trump in Khakis’

The Lincoln Project – What’s on the Ballot?

Armageddon Update – Vaccine Mandate

PBS – GOP lawmakers were ‘intimately involved’ in Jan. 6 protest planning, new report shows. So nice to see PBS getting into this.

MSNBC – Congressman Reacts To Latest Draft Of Biden’s Social Spending Plan

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump, Cowboys, Rolling Stone, and a bumpy ride….

Share

Open Thread for October 27, 2021

 Posted by at 6:41 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 272021
 

Yesterday, after a couple of overcast days, the sun came out … and so did the wind. There’s a NSFW quip about why it’s so windey here – it’s because Utah blows and Kansas – mphmmm.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Mother Jones – I Played This Climate Change Game—and Lost Everything
Quote – [F]acts about humanitarian crises averted can feel abstract unless you face them, or at the very minimum role-play as someone who must confront them. I did so myself. And I lost my beans. Paying for Predictions is an experiential learning game designed for the Red Cross Red Crescent Climate Centre by Boston University visiting fellows Pablo Suárez and Janot Mendler de Suárez. Players can gain an appreciation for the importance of preparedness and early action, the use of weather and climate projections, and disaster resilience and climate risk reduction.
Click through for story. Nameless and I were chatting about computer and phone games recently … but we weren’t thinking of anything like this. This gaming could really help. I only hope there’s enough time for it to help.

Democratic Underground – Remember Sen Grassley’s tweet about filling in for Pence?
Quote – Remember Sen Grassley’s tweet about filling in for Pence? Grassley tweeted Jan 5 that he’d be filling in for Pence during certification of electors since Pence was not expected to be there. His office quickly announced that he meant IF Pence wasn’t able to be there, but I wonder if the first version wasn’t more accurate. Could that be how they planned to get around Pence’s refusal to cooperate? Just have him taken somewhere else for a while? Sounds crazy, but then recall the story that came out about Pence not leaving the Capitol that day because he didn’t trust the driver?
Click through for speculation and comments. Yes, it’s speculative, but sometimes putting small things together can lead to big questions. Now if we only had answers.

HuffPost – 2020 Had The Most Reported Hate Crimes Since 2001: FBI Data
Quote – The FBI’s 2020 data came from 15,138 law enforcement agencies around the country. Roughly half of all hate crime incidents reported were classified as intimidation, 27% were simple assault and nearly 18% were aggravated assault (which the FBI defines as “physical attacks intended to inflict severe or aggravated bodily injury”).
Click through for more stats. It’s not hard to see why. Mr. China-virus-illegal-immigrants-not-sending-their-best no doubt had something to do with it.

Food for Thought –

Share

Video Thread 10/26/2021

 Posted by at 11:36 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 262021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Steve Bannon Indictment Watch & DOJ Precedent of 9 Days from Congressional Referral to Indictment

Don Winslow – Anatomy of Capitol Attack

Crooks and Liars – Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has receipts

Ring of Fire – Trump-Loving Senators Hid In A Closet During Capitol Insurrection

MSNBC – Obama: America Is At ‘Turning Point,’ Campaigns For Terry McAuliffe In Virginia

Puppet Regime – Zuckerberg Is Sorry/Not Sorry

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s Truth network….

Share

Open Thread for October 26, 2021

 Posted by at 6:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 262021
 

Yesterday, I moved some clothes around – put some away, took some out to be handy both to visit Virgil and to change into when I get home. Of course the pronblem with that is that it take twice as long to recover as it does to do. But I did manage. And rested a little with knitting. (One yarn company has as its motto “Knit. Relax. Repeat.” Almot too cute.)

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The 19th – The 19th Explains: Key races to watch in November 2 elections
Quote – The year after a presidential contest is not a big one for elections, but two states and several major cities are holding elections this year for governor, state legislators, mayors and more. The debates are shaped by local issues, like housing, and national issues, like the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Click through for all eight. It mentions the NYC mayor but not the DA, in which Alvin Bragg is running to succeed Cy Vance. He may, of course, be unopposed.

Crools and Liars – Biden Breaks Stalemate As New Hope Emerges For Transformational Agenda
Quote – The details of the bill are still being worked out, but Jayapal has made clear so far that progressives’ priorities are still in the bill, even though they’ve had to scale back some of the proposals. Manchin and Sinema have continued to be the skunks at the garden party, but Biden seems to have pinned them down on both a price tag and their red lines in the sand.
Click through for the story. Crooks and Liars is an unlikely place to look to for hope, but I’ll take it where I can get it.

PolitiZoom – Gerrymandering On Steroids W. Virginia Governor says He’ll Accept Three Maryland Counties Who Want To Secede
Quote – This is either a Fox News publicity stunt which has gone too far, or maybe state lines will be redrawn in dramatic ways if this is real and it catches on. As you’ve probably heard, three western Maryland counties want to secede from Maryland and become a part of West Virginia. What’s that you say? Who in their right mind would want to leave the 15th largest economy in the nation and move to the 48th? Beats the hell out of me.
Click through for what little else is known. If they can do this without changing the number of House Representatives each state is now assigned, I say go for it.

Food for Thought –

Share

Video Thread 10/25/2021

 Posted by at 12:23 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 252021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Here are the Consequences to Democracy if AG Garland/DOJ Refuse to Prosecute Trump’s Election Crimes

Meidas Touch – Former Ohio Dem Chair takes on MAGA FREAKSHOW Josh Mandel

Now This News – What Obama’s Speeches Sound Like as a Symphony – Cue Racist heads exploding n 3… 2… 1…

Ring of Fire – Black Cop Gets Immediately Fired For Calling Out Police Brutality And Racism. I don’t always agree 100% with Farron. This time I would not alter a syllable.

politicsrus – John Lewis HD

Titus – Tactical Chicken

Beau – Let’s talk about individual interests and unions….

Share

Open Thread for October 25, 2021

 Posted by at 6:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 252021
 

Yesterday, I managed to find the strength to take some trash and recyclables to the polycarts, and move the polycarts closer to the curb. Not all the way to the curb – pickup isn’t till Thursday – but close enough to be esier to get out on Wednesday. While i was doing that, the neighborhood cat stopped by. He doesn’t care much for the gourmet cat treats I got from Chewy. But I guess he figures that he comes by enough times I’ll eventually open something else (and he is right.) I honestly don’t know what he likes. The one flavor he really liked was Iams salmon, but he is over it now. Not that he needs food. I’ve started calling him “Bustopher.”

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Insurrectionists’ Extremism Deepens In ‘Patriot Wing’ Of D.C. Jail
Quote – More than anything, they appear to focus on justifying their martyrdom. “We have been labeled the enemy, yet clearly we see tyranny as the enemy,” Reffitt wrote. “While our lawyers do our bidding and the judges do their duties, we remain resolute, reciting the Pledge of Allegiance and singing the National Anthem all in unison, loud and proud most every day. All because we are us, we are you, we are all Americans and in here, we have no labels.”
Click through for reality. This was prefictable. I don’t suppose the DC jail has any way to break them up. The Feds maybe coupd, but it’s probably not legal to tranfer them to federal facilities – yet.

The Daily Beast – ‘Delinquent’ Matt Gaetz Blocked from Practicing Law
Quote – The Daily Beast has learned that the Florida Bar has branded Gaetz as “delinquent” twice in the past two years. The organization temporarily cut him off in 2019 and again in 2020, because Gaetz failed to affirm that he is properly handling and protecting any clients’ money in trust accounts. Lawyers must abide by strict rules to ensure they are not stealing or misusing money that belongs to the people they represent.
Click through for story. And this is just for failing to pay to renew his law license (or, as the author puts it, “not paying his bar tab”). Look at the next short take for what else is going n.

Democratic Underground – Justice Dept. Adds Two Top Prosecutors to Matt Gaetz Case
Quote – The Justice Department has added two top prosecutors from Washington to the child sex trafficking investigation of Representative Matt Gaetz, according to two people briefed on the matter, a sign of the complex and high-stakes nature of the inquiry into Mr. Gaetz, a Florida Republican who is one of former President Donald J. Trump’s closest congressional allies. The prosecutors — one a public corruption investigator with an expertise in child exploitation crimes, and the other a top leader of the public corruption unit — have been working on the Florida-based investigation for at least three months, the people said.
Click through for detils. I like to use original sources, but cannot access the NYT. Do you suppose he deliberately did not pay for his license because he knew it would be a waste? I doubt it. He’s mot that smart.

Food for Thought –

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries