Open Thread – Page 144 – Politics Plus

Open Thread June 19, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 192023

Yesterday, I got to see Virgil, and passed on to him all greetings, all of which he returns. He did say that being with me was the best Fathers Day gift he could have received. We got in four games of Scrabble (using all letters, not scoring) although the fourth one by the end of it we were ignoring a bunch of rules. We finished it 3 minutes before visitation ended. The weather was about perfect both ways – warm (but the air conditioner was working) and just enough cloud cover to minimize glare.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Today’s Edition Newsletter (Robert Hubbell) – A tactical retreat by the Supreme Court?
Quote – A string of surprising Supreme Court decisions has caused some people (i.e., me) to wonder if the Court’s conservative majority is engaged in a tactical retreat to prevent further damage to the Court’s legitimacy…. If that interpretation is correct—even in part—it should spur us to greater efforts to reform and enlarge the Court. Why? Because the reactionary majority may have changed course because it believed that the calls for reform are likely to succeed. If so, the worst thing we could do is to relent merely because the Court followed precedent in a handful of cases—something it should do in all cases.
Click trough for article. Emphasis is the author’s, but if he hadn’t, I would have.

The Daily Beast – Jack Smith Should Have Waited a Week to Indict Donald Trump
Quote – [O]n Thursday—one week after Trump was charged in Florida—the U.S. Supreme Court handed down the decision in Smith v. United States, a case that decided whether the wrong choice of venue in a criminal case would not only be reversible error but also irreparable error—meaning that the case could not be re-tried in the correct venue. In many ways, this decision is no surprise because, as the unanimous Supreme Court opinion stated, there is no reason to treat a mistake in venue any differently than any other violation of Constitutional rights—meaning it can be remedied. Per the Smith decision, a case that resulted in conviction but was brought in the wrong venue would have to be re-tried in the right place.
Click through for opinion. All that waiting would have accomplished (assuming the charges had then been filed in DC) the only result would have been delay. The document charges would still have had to be filed in South Florida eventually. But this decision does open up some possibiities. (Emphasis mine.)

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/18/2023

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

Jun 182023

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Cannon issues order in Trump prosecution, signaling she will NOT recuse herself from case

The Lincoln Project – Espionage

PBS – Violent rhetoric escalates online after latest Trump indictment (Hey – Someone is covering this!)

Parody Project – Stand with Your Man (not new but still relevant)

Tiny Piglet’s Whole World Changes When She Meets This Baby Cow

Beau – Let’s talk about New Haven and a settlement….

Open Thread June 18, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:11 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 182023

Last week’s opera was the last one from the Metropolitan Opera until December. But WFMT will carry on through the summer with recordings of live performances from all over the world. Yesterday, the opera was “Fidelio,” the only opera ever composed by Beethoven, from the Vienna State Opera. The announcer today said it was based on a true story from the French Revolution; that was the first I’d heard of it, so I won’t swear to it. But it’s about the wife of a man who was politically fighting a fascistic governor, who has kidnapped him and thrown him into the (unfinished) basement of his private prison. It’s been two years, and everyone thinks him dead except his wife, who dresses as a man to get a job at the prison. She doesn’t find him until the evil governor’s boss send him a message that he’s coming to inspect the prison. The governor panics and orders the jailer to dig a grave in the basement, the wife offers to help, and there he is. The line that’s often quoted occurs when the governor is about to kill him and the wife comes between them and says “First kill his wife.” (She is armed and the governor falls apart and leaves, as does the jailer, from kinder motives.) But the line that gets me every time is when they are left alone and he, still in shock, says “Leonora! What have you done for me!” to which she replies, “Nothing, my Florestan. It was nothing.” Then they go up and out, and the governor’s boss and the chorus sing in praise of marriage. And with all that in my head, I’m off to see Virgil. As always, I’ll post a comment when I get back

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – The Five Elements of Fascism
Quote – How do we describe what Trump wants for America? “Authoritarianism” isn’t adequate. It is “fascism.” Fascism stands for a coherent set of ideas different from — and more dangerous than — authoritarianism. To fight those ideas, it’s necessary to be aware of what they are and how they fit together. Borrowing from cultural theorist Umberto Eco, historians Emilio Gentile and Ian Kershaw, political scientist Roger Griffin, and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, I offer five elements that distinguish fascism from authoritarianism.
Click through for all five. Many lists have more than five – but all of the lists nail Trump** and his MAGAts as pure fascists.

HuffPost – Biden Is Having A Very Productive Presidency, And This Win On Drug Prices Shows Why
Quote – If you want to understand why the Biden administration gets so little credit for its accomplishments ― and why, perhaps, it deserves to get a little more ― pay attention to a little-noticed policy announcement from last Friday. The announcement was a list of 43 prescription drugs that are covered by Medicare and whose prices have risen faster than the rate of inflation. The list included relatively well-known drugs like Humira, which treats a variety of inflammatory conditions, plus some more obscure medications like Leukine, which helps cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy stave off infection.
Click through for details. And pass it on

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/17/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:54 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 172023

Glenn Kirschner – Under applicable federal law, Judge Cannon MUST remove herself or be removed from Trump prosecution

Meidas Touch – 🚨 Jack Smith Files FIRST MAJOR MOTION in Trump Criminal Case

The Lincoln Project – This Year

Thom Hartmann – Trump Indictment is Nothing to Celebrate… [and then he makes hte case for why it is, IMO]

Liberal Redneck – Trump Indictment Round 2

House Cat Spots Two Stray Kittens In His Backyard, And Then…

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump grief and what we can learn….

Open Thread June 17, 2023

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

Jun 172023

Yesterday, I scored 8 out of 8 correct on the Conversation’s weekly quiz (after a few weeks of 5s and 4s), but I can’t take that much credit. All of the wrong answers were generated by AI. In the graph at the end I was expeting to see a huge increase in the number of 8/8 scores – but, although there was some increase, the biggest increase was in 7/8. Now I wish I had looked more closely at the percentage who got each question right as I was going through. Not that that’s important – just curiosity. Also yesterday, the first major motion in the Trump** trial has been filed, and it is a protective order on the discovery. The attorneys for the defense have agreed to the motion. Solid details in the Video Thread in a Meidas Touch video (almost 9 minutes but all information.)

Cartoon – 17 0617Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

The Conversation – George Soros hands control over his family’s philanthropy to son Alex,…
Quote – As a sociologist who researches immigrants and minorities in Europe and conspiracy theories about them, I study how Soros became a scapegoat and bogeyman for nationalists and populists and a target of people who harbor and spread antisemitic beliefs. Baseless conspiracy theories have at times clouded his legacy as one of the world’s biggest donors to causes like higher education, human rights and the democratization of Europe’s formerly communist countries.
Click through for story. I’ve often thought how difficult it must have been for him to be constantly confronted with conspiract theories and anti-Semitic libels. I’m grateful his son is willing to carry on his work.

HuffPost – The GOP Throws A Fit Over The Pride Flag
Quote – Republicans are observing this year’s Pride Month with complaints about the rainbow flag being flown on federal properties, including at the White House. It’s another way the GOP is leaning into culture war issues that are animating its base amid broader efforts to restrict transgender rights nationwide…. “I don’t know if you know it, but simply looking at a Pride flag will not make you gay,” Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), who is gay, said at a hearing marking up the bill.
Click through for more. All this about “insulting veterans who died for the American flag.” Well, I’m a veteran, and I served with gay people who showed tremendous courage – who risked everything, including their lives, to have the honor of serving. People have died for the Pride flag too.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/16/2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:56 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 162023

Glenn Kirschner – NY AG James says NY civil case may take a back seat to Trump’s federal case; what about other cases?

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – June 13, 2023

Robert Reich – Busting the “Paid What You’re Worth” Myth

Parody Project – Whn Will He Ever Learn?

No One Wanted To Be This Baby Mini Cow’s Friend Until…❤️

Beau – Let’s talk about a european cop asking about black Americans….

Open Thread June 16, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 162023

Yesterday, I got an email from John Pavlovitz – not that that’s unusual, and some of y’all get them too. But for those who don’t, I wanted to share some words from this one. He is featuring aome new merchandise specifically for Pride Month – including just about anything you can put a message on – and the messages are well said. “God is Non-Binary.” “LGBTQ Christian isn’t an Oxymoron. Hateful Christian is.” “We Say Gay.” More power to him! i also got a package with a bunch of AAA batteries, which I needed. My little (but powerful) flashlights all take three AAA batteries, and I have at least one in every room. And I was down to my last two batteries – which is the same as being completely out when you need three. And those flashlights are not just for power failures. My home was built in 1956, and in any building that age, every piece of furniture placed against a wall will lean in slightly – not enough to be dangerous, but enough for small items like beads and knitting needles to roll or slide off… and then roll or bounce into dark corners. I have a number of “grabber” tools to retrieve them with, but first I have to see them. And yesterday was also the first day of that cringey time of year when, for a month anf a half, Donald Trump** and i are the same age. At least it will be over soon.

Cartoon – 16 0616Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Former Fox Executive: Is It Time for the FCC to Take a Close Look at Rupert Murdoch’s Licenses?
Quote – I was a Fox executive from 1990 to 1997 helping to build Fox Broadcasting Company, the long sought fourth free-over-the-air commercial TV network…. In addition to Fox Broadcasting, Fox owns cable channels including Fox News Channel and 28 local broadcast TV stations. The Federal Communications Commission has almost no regulatory authority over cable channels like Fox News but heavily regulates local broadcast stations that use public airwaves. Section 308 (b) of the Communications Act requires the FCC to assess the character qualifications of parties licensed to broadcast on the public airwaves. The FCC considers conduct at the broadcast station and elsewhere. The FCC has revoked broadcast licenses based on character issues.
Click through for story. Now, if somene were to start a petition to the FCC on this, that would be a petition I could get behind.

Letters from an American – June 13, 2023
Quote – [Fox News Channel] has been hemorrhaging viewers since it fired Tucker Carlson, a threat to its bottom line that might have been behind its chyron tonight attacking Biden by claiming “WANNABE DICTATOR SPEAKS AT THE WHITE HOUSE AFTER HAVING HIS POLITICAL RIVAL ARRESTED.” In statements similar to the one from FNC, right-wing pundits spent the day flooding Twitter and other social media with furious insistence that Trump is being unfairly prosecuted, followed by attacks on former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, and with allegations that there are tapes of President Biden accepting bribes—allegations that Biden openly laughed at this evening.
Click through for more (As always, click “Continue reading” on the pop-up). Yes, I’m beating up on Fox today. I’m aware that others exist, such as OAN and Sinclair, but Fox is still the most prominent.

Food For Thought