Open Thread – Page 126 – Politics Plus

Video Thread 10/25/23

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

Oct 252023

Glenn Kirschner – Another Trump lawyer – Jenna Ellis – pleads guilty & flips in GA; throws Rudy Giuliani under the bus [Has anyone ever heard before of an actual lawyer putting forward an “advice of counsel” defense?]

The Lincoln Project – Jim Jordan on Social Security

MSNBC – ‘Political earthquake’: Mark Meadows has been granted immunity according to ABC News

Liberal Redneck – The House GOP is Incompetent

Woman Spends 6 Months Getting Stray Cats To Trust Her

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden, hot takes, and security….

Open Thread October 25, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 252023

Yesterday, Talking Points Memo shared a link to an opinion piece on what has happened to Ken Buck – a topic which has had my brain running around in circles for a few months. The explanation is not completely satisfying, but it’s the most convincing I have seen. If anyone else cares (and I certainly wouldn’t blame you if you don’t), here’s the link. It is on Substack so there will be a popup to click. Since this was from Substack, and I had noted two other Substack articles – all from very different -authors – I decided to just go ahead and use all of them on the same day. So do remember the popups, and that when the screen darkens slightly, you may have to scroll down.
And today Margaret Atwood is getting a pacemaker. I realize what I’m about to share may have limited interest (although many of us were interested, to put it mildly, in The Handmaid’s Tale) but if even one person is interested, I think I should share it, because my sharing is the only way you are going to find it. On September 30, Ms. Atwood joined the Theater of War at the Toronto International Festival of Authors for a program “Patient and Impatient Griselda” which included both a dramatic reading – with professional actors – of Boccacio’s story Patient Griselda, and then Ms. Atwood reading her own story Impatient Griselda, narrated to a group of humans in quarantine by an alien which looks like an octopus. A complete video is now available here. Ms. Atwood starts at 34:01 (and I’ve set the YouTube link to start there), and when she finishes there is a lengthy group discussion, you dont need to continue. In case you haven’t guessed, all this is in aid of a domestic violence project.
Finally, Tom Emmer dropped out of the race for Speaker barelly four hours after he won the nomination. He is the majority whip so at least has a tiny bit of experience – which is more than the rest of them do. Sigh. But by 8:30 mountain hehad been replaced by Mike Johnson.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Wonkette – Dollar General’s Creepy Pre-Employment Medical Exams Cost Them $1 Million
Quote – According to the lawsuit, the medical examination included the “taking of vital signs, the completion of a drug test, a vision test, a medical and health history questionnaire, a review of current medications, and a physical examination, including, in some instances, genital examination of job applicants.” It is hard to imagine what job, other than “porn star,” a genital examination might be necessary for, but God help us all if it’s “working at a Dollar General warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama.”
Click through for details. Creepy is certainly the mot juste. I can’t help wondering who they think they are. (The Dollar General stores are creepy to me, too

Robert Reich – Thirty years later
Quote – I was in the White House Rose Garden in September 1993, when Bill Clinton hosted the now iconic handshake between Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and PLO leader Yasser Arafat after they signed the Israeli-PLO peace accord. We were so optimistic, 30 years ago. Coincidentally, last night I had a reunion with about 60 members of my top team at the Department of Labor to mark 30 years since we came together. They’d been assistant secretaries, deputy assistant secretaries, other political appointees, and senior career professionals.
Click through for article. They must have been quite a team. And yet – “we couldn’t stop the storm.” I know – I feel it too – it makes one want to wash one’s hands of the entire human race sometimes.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/24/23

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:04 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 242023

I have another day to fill in, and we are approaching month end, which means a recap will be coming up, and require yet another. Harry Litman is out and I can’t find out why. But this video is under 10 minutes and interesting (mostly), and I certainly hope DOJ wins this one.
Legal AF – FURIOUS DOJ THROW THE WHOLE BOOK at Trump Conspirators, LOCK THEM UP

The Lincoln Project – American Leader

MSNBC – McConnell signals support for Biden’s request to bundle aid to Ukraine and Israel into one bill

Parody Project – (SITTIN’ ON HER) BUM AT THE PLAY – Parody of Dock on the Bay | David Cohen & Don Caron

Dog Surprise Reunion with Prisoner Who Saved His Life

Beau – Let’s talk about an update on Biden’s trip and more….

Open Thread October 24, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 242023

Yesterday, I was exhausted, and slept quite late. So I got busy putting this post together, and at a little before 8 p.m., I received an email informing me Margaret Atwood is having pacemaker surgery tomorrow, Wednesday. The link is to Substack, but if you are interested and don’t mind clicking the popup, you can find out more. She is due to turn 84 next month, and was only 12 whem she experienced her first extrasystole, and also she has a family history of Afib. I did see the episode of Impatient Griselda she alludes to, and no, I had no idea she was having an episode. But I take this seriously, however lightly she speaks of it. Although it’s unavoidable, I hate losing national treasures (even when it’s another nation – in this case, Canada.) And of course the pacemaker may well lenghthen her life significantly, so there’s that. I certainly hope it does.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Axios – Scoop: Marine Corps 3-star general advising Israeli military on Gaza ground operation
Quote – White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby told reporters at a briefing on Monday that there “are a few U.S. military officers with relevant experience to the operation the Israelis are conducting that are over there to share their perspective and to ask hard questions — the same hard questions we have been asking our Israeli counterparts since the beginning.”
Click through for more. Here’s what I think is going on: Republicans (by whatever name) have much in common with children (particularly toddlers), and one of those commonalities is that, in order to persuade them to do something, you have to be able to get them to think it was their own idea. I could be wrong – but all that brain power looks like it to me.

The 19th – Tammy Baldwin has won big in closely divided Wisconsin. Can she do it again?
Quote – Baldwin is one of the country’s most progressive senators, and she’s running for a third term in what could be the country’s most closely divided state. She played a prominent role mobilizing Democratic voters ahead of a Wisconsin Supreme Court election this year that became a referendum on abortion rights. A lower court ruled this fall that abortions could resume in the state. Democrats believe that 2024 voters will remember the year in which their reproductive rights were in question; Republicans hope the ruling will diminish the issue’s salience next year. Either way, Baldwin also has a formidable track record of appealing to Wisconsin’s more rural, conservative pockets with her economic agenda — and she’s already busy talking to voters and raising money as she waits for a high-profile Republican challenger to enter the race.
Click through for article. I’m old enough to remember when Wisconsin was pretty progressive overall, and I find it actually painful that that has been lost – and so acrimoniously at that. This is Scott Walker’s “legacy.” It needs to go – and I wish Baldwin every success.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/23/23

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:05 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 232023

Glenn Kirschner – Powell & Chesebro plead guilty, flip, & agree to testify against Trump & others: Top 5 takeaways

The Lincoln Project – This Is Your Coup, Jim Jordan

MSNBC – Trump’s embrace of violence since leaving office

John Fugelsang – Kid Rock for Senate?

Wobbly Cat Adopts A Tiny, Wobbly Kitten

Beau – Let’s talk about how Biden’s trip changed….

Open Thread October 23, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 232023

Yesterday, I got to visit with Virgil and we got to play cards – there was a brand new deck. It kind of made me chuckle – because it included, besides the 52 cards and 2 jokers, a 55th card with tips on authenticating the cards. (You can look it up if you’re cutious; it’s Motor Brand #976.) But they were brand new and sturdy, which helped in shuffling. The drive was fine both ways. On the way down, I could see that it was the northbound lanes where the bridge was missing, and on the way back up I could see that they had done a quick-and-dirty paving and paint job which made it driveable just fine. Since Interstates are a part of the Federal Highway system, I should probably drop a thank-you note to Pete Buttigieg. Just now I’m pretty tired, but I may feel better later. I also noted that the missing bridge (at mile marker 107) is between two exits (104 and 108) both of which can take one to the Pueblo West neighborhood – that would be a heck of a lot shorter detour than going through Cañon City if it comes to that. Also, Virgil returns all greetings.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

SPLC – SPLC SUES LOUISIANA CITY ON BEHALF OF NAACP, CHALLENGING UNFAIR VOTING MAP
Quote – In Abbeville, as elsewhere, the makeup of voting maps can have a very tangible impact on the lives of voters. Local officials determine everything from whether a street is paved to how far someone has to travel to visit a park or playground – and how well maintained those public works might be. “There’s a complete difference or two different worlds in the city of Abbeville,” said Linda Cockrell, president of the Vermilion Parish NAACP chapter in Abbeville. “I was told that in the higher-up neighborhoods, city workers are in these neighborhoods at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning washing down the roads, removing trash, and everything else.”
Click through for details.The smaller the city, and the farther away from actual big cities it is, the truer that probably is too.

Civil Discourse – The Week Ahead
Quote – The most important pending question in Georgia is, when does the next trial get set, and will it include all of the remaining defendants? A September 14 scheduling order sheds a little light on that matter. It applies to all defendants other than Powell and Chesebro and orders the parties to complete initial discovery by October 6. We are well past that deadline. The Judge also gave the parties until December 1, just a bit more than a month away, to file all motions other than motions in limine. That means substantive motions…. The September order doesn’t set a hearing date for any of those motions. Presumably the Judge will set them once the motions are in…. Fani Willis could leave it up to the Judge to rule, but look for her to file a motion this week asking him to set that date. Remember, Willis was willing to try all of the defendants October 3. She’s ready to go.
Click through for what to expect. Since Both Ken andd Sidney have accepted plea deals, the trial supposed to start today will look different from the one we initially expected.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 10/22/23

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 4:49 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 222023

Glenn has skipped two days in a row (which is partly why I am so late.) I am plugging in this movie, which they showed to high school kids in 1948! would they allow it today? It’s a bit over 7 minutes but there’s a lot in it.

The Lincoln Project – Joe Biden in Israel

Farron Balanced – Viewers Demand Farron Give An Update On His Pets

Patrick Fitzgerald – Royals (Kevin McCarthy / Puddles Pity Party / Postmodern Jukebox / Lorde Song Parody)

Senior Chihuahua Turns Into A Puppy Once He Finds The Perfect Family

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden’s trip….

Open Thread October 22, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:09 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 222023

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Attila,” by Giuseppe Verdi – it’s a very early opera. The libretto was based on a play, which was pretty well made up out of whole cloth. Attila lived in the 5th century BCE and flourished from the mid 430s to the early 450s, so nobody has a clue what his life was really like (no one could possibly have done everything attributed to him in one lifetime. In the Volsunga saga [under the name of “Atli”], for instance, he becomes the second husband of Siegfried’s second wife – yes, that Siegfried – the tenor in Wagner’s Ring cycle.). It’s a mish-mash of stock drama, someone believed dead who isn’t, accusations of betrayal aimed at the woman who just wants to kill the enemy, grand gestures and the like. The only distinctive plot twist is Attila’s dream that an old man tells him to leave Rome alone or he is doomed, and then when he gets to Rome, Pope Leo turns out to be the old man in his dream, which of course scares the bejeebus out of him. The aforementioned woman ends up getting to kill him. It’s all very patriotic in the context of Italy in the 19th century under the Austrian Empire, and audiences loved it, but it’s seldom performed today. But that doesn’t mean you can’t find recordings of it, including three with Samuel Ramey (The powerhouse bass starting in the 80’s who was able to get it performed because he had such star clout.) And hey, it’s Verdi. If he ever wrote anything that wasn’t worth a listen, it’s news to me. This production, from the Opera Festival of Chicago, seems to fluctuate between the 4th and the 21st centuries visually, but it inspired 372 photos, including the curtain calls. It took me a while to get through them – but I did end up with a pretty clear mental picture of the action. Well, enjoy the spooky stuff (and humor) in the short takes. Now, I’m off to visit Virgil – amazingly with no detours – but I might still be later than usual getting back. I will post when I am.

Cartoon – 22 dEs

Short Takes –

The Root – Here Are The Boogie Men (And Women) Of Black History
Quote – Halloween is right around the corner. And while the traditional goblins, ghouls, and monsters are plenty scary, this spooky season, we’re introducing you to some real horror. Meet the boogie men of Black history, a.k.a the men (and women) whose policies and actions have haunted Black Americans throughout time. And yes, Ronald Reagan is on there!
Click through for full list and reasons. Sadly, Nathan Bedford Forrest is not on there. I find him creepier than anyone.

Wonkette (on Substack) – Make Me, Shub-Niggurath, Your House Speaker, Or Be Cast Into Death Beyond Death, Mortals.
Quote – LAUGH NOT, MORTAL! DO YOU HAVE A BETTER AND LESS-FATAL-TO-YOU IDEA? I THOUGHT NOT. ESTEEMED MEMBERS OF THE REPUBLICAN HOUSE CAUCUS, I UNDERSTAND I’M A FRESHMAN, AND THAT I ONLY OCCUPY THIS SEAT BECAUSE I CAST ITS DULY ELECTED REPRESENTATIVE INTO THE GAPING MAW OF MY OFFSPRING ITHAQUA THE WIND-WALKER TO SPEND AN ETERNITY DROWNING IN HIS BLACK ICHOR. SO YOU FEEL YOU DO NOT KNOW ME WELL ENOUGH TO ELECT ME TO SUCH AN IMPORTANT POSITION. AND ALSO YOU ARE COWERING IN TERROR. YOU ARE RIGHT TO COWER! FOR I AM SHUB-NIGGURATH, THE BLACK GOAT OF THE WOODS WITH A THOUSAND YOUNG, AND I HAVE ENOUGH TENTACLES TO SQUEEZE THE LIFE OF ALL 220 OF YOU OUT OF YOUR CORPOREAL BODIES AT THE SAME TIME. SORRY, I MEANT 219, SINCE ITHAQUA ATE WHATSHISNAME.
Click through for what I hope is H.P. Lovecraft inspired (I’d hate to think he thought of this all by himself) satire. I don’t think Shub-Niggurath is intending to shout – it’s just that the Elder Gods pre-date lower-case letters by millennia so she doesn’t know how to use them. I could be wrong. I do understand the urge to shout at Republicans.

Food For Thought

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