Glenn Kirschner – 3 Trump stories: an anonymous jury; Barr says Trump’s sunk; a last-ditch attempt to silence Pence
Thom Hartmann – Seriously, the GOP Wants To Bomb Mexico?!
Farron Balanced – Trump Stuns America With Disturbingly Angry Easter Message
Armageddon Update – TRUMP “INDICATED”??
Grumpy, Un-adoptable Cat Is Her New Mom’s Shadow
Beau – Let’s talk about the Exonerated 5 and a letter to Trump….
Yesterday, In The Public Interest (ITPI – a group which opposes any privatization of anything which ought to be a pure government function) reported that in two red states, Kansas and Texas, the legislatures had defeated measures which would in some way privatize public schooling. This is welcome news. Still, I can’t get the thought out of my head that one motivator for taking this the action at this time was the desire to keep tight state control over what children are allowed to learn. In his play, “Murder in the Cathedral,” which dramaizes the death of Thomas Beckett, T. S. Eliot wrote the line “The last temptation is the greatest treason:/ To do the right ting for the wrong reason.” I’m not sure that is 100% true, but there is truth in it.
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Robert Reich – Is the GOP becoming the American fascist party?
Quote – We are witnessing the logical culmination of win-at-any-cost Trump Republican politics — scorched-earth tactics used by Republicans to entrench their power, with no justification other than that they can. Democracy is about means. Under it, citizens don’t have to agree on ends (abortion, health care, guns, or whatever else we disagree about) as long as we agree on democratic means for handling our disagreements. But for Trump Republicans, the ends justify whatever means they choose —including expelling lawmakers, rigging elections through gerrymandering, refusing to raise the debt ceiling, and denying the outcome of a legitimate presidential election.
Click through for article. Yeah, I know, the question answers itself. But he puts the evidence together nicely and neatly. Including the distinction between ends v. means, which is as important as the distinction between left and right v. up and down.
Raw Story – Lauren Boebert accused of ‘coverup’ after son’s car accident
Quote – Noble D’Amato, a 19-year-old friend of Rep. Lauren Boebert’s son Tyler, has accused the Republican congresswoman of covering up details of a vehicle crash that left him injured. D’Amato told Denver news site Westword that he was riding shotgun with Boebert’s son on September 17 when Tyler flipped the SUV he was driving. D’Amato suffered “multiple concussions and a severely lacerated hand.” “I still have problems with my hand,” D’Amato told the site. “My thumb almost got cut off. It prevented me from getting a welding job, because I can’t hold a TIG torch anymore. I’m a personal-care provider now.”
Click through for details. It used to be a truism that “It’s not the crime, it’s the coverup.” I’m afraid, for today’s Republican fascists, neither matters much, if at all. I’d love to be wrong in this case, as the kid appears to deserves justice.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – As defendant Trump’s threats to judge & DA continue, it’s time for the judge to order him to STOP!
Thom Hartmann – Frightening Truth About GOP’s Fascist Descent Exposed
Ring of Fire – Trump Holds Emergency Prayer Call Following Arraignment
Twitter – Justin Jones and Joan Baez singing “We Shall Overcome” at the airport together
Beautiful. Justin Jones and Joan Baez singing “We Shall Overcome” at the airport together. Two legends & inspirations uniting & sending a strong & powerful message. Tennessee Republicans truly messed with the wrong person. pic.twitter.com/bLLvsHt6yw
— Victor Shi (@Victorshi2020) April 9, 2023
Terrified Puppy Completely Transforms When She Meets Another Dog
Beau – Let’s talk about the GOP in North Carolina and Tennessee….
Yesterday, I realized I had inadvertently provided proof that when I get home from a visit with Virgil I am not running on all cylinders. I did this by scheduling yesterday’s Video Thread for the morning and the Open Thread for midday. Well, it wasn’t the first time I did this and it undoubtedly will not be the last. I can only promise not to do it on purpose; I can’t promise not to do it. Appsrently I had recovered, since i got the New Yorker’sName Drop on the first clue – but I went to the same high school as the subject, who had graduated the year before I was a first- year student, so I had some inside information. (I’ll give this hint in case anyone wants to pursue it: the person is mentioned in yesterday’s TJIs.)
If anyone is interested in taking in more information about ProPublica’s investigation of Clarence Thomas, there’s a “virtual event” today at 3:00 pm to 3:45 pm Eastern, here’s a link. It isn’t clear whether it is boing to be more like a Zoom call or more like a podcast, but it is clear it will be live, because there’s a space in the reservation form for any question you might want to ask. I won’t be there, but I didn’t want anyone who is interested to miss it on account of my inaction.
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PoltiZoom – BUSTED: Sadist DeSantis Laughed At Tortured Guantanamo Inmates
Quote – Inmates in Guantanamo used to die from being force fed Ensure which was laced with laxatives, which caused vomiting and diarrhea simultaneously. Having once had that myself due to food poisoning, I can assure you it is an unbelievable experience. The electrolytes in the body become unbalanced, which can lead to heart arrhythmia, which can lead to death. And Ron DeSantis thinks it’s funny, according to the testimony of one inmate.
Click through for evidence in detail, if you can stand to. It’s no surprise or secret that DeSantis is DeMonic, nor that “Cruelty is the point” – but the evidence is damning (to anyone but another fascist.)
the 19th – ‘We will not be defeated’: Vice President Kamala Harris stands with expelled representatives in Nashville
Quote – Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at Jones’ alma mater — Fisk University, a historically Black institution — delivering a message of praise for the lawmakers and an indictment of the Republican supermajority that expelled them. “A democracy says you don’t silence the people,” Harris said. “You don’t stifle the people. You don’t turn off their microphones when they are speaking about the importance of life and liberty. That is not what a democracy does.”
Click through for story. Sometimes beauty emerges as a response to evil, and that is what we have here. And Kamala is not the only respondent. See today’s video thread for an unplanned inspirational duet.
Food For Thought
Yesterday, I got to see Virgil, and give him all your greetings, which he returns. I got the Scrabble set right away, and we managed to play three full games (not keeping score, just attempting (and, with some cooperation, succeeding) to use all the letters with all actual words. That took us within 3 minutes of the end of visitation, so I’d say we did well.
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HuffPost – Clarence Thomas Says He Was ‘Advised’ He Didn’t Need To Report Lavish Trips With GOP Donor
Quote – In a rare statement released by the Supreme Court, Thomas said he was “advised” by his colleagues in the judiciary “that this sort of personal hospitality from close personal friends” was not something that needed to be reported under the court’s guidelines at the time. The conservative justice added that it was his intent to follow new reporting rules instituted by the Supreme Court last month.
Click through for details. One legal expert commented he would really like to know who so advised him (with the implication that he’d like to give them a piece of his mind.) But apparently they are all dead now (so cannot defend themselves – or call Thomas a liar. Pity.
Daily Kos (ericlewis0) – NYT: Georgia DA Willis has Notified almost 20 People They are Targets of Investigation
Quote – In Georgia, however, there is another criminal investigation of Mr. Trump nearing completion, this one also led by a local prosecutor, Fani T. Willis of Fulton County…. Her investigation has targeted a wide range of conduct centered around efforts to subvert the democratic process and overturn Mr. Trump’s 2020 election loss. Nearly 20 people are already known to have been told that they are targets who could face charges, including Rudolph W. Giuliani, Mr. Trump’s former personal lawyer, and David Shafer, the head of the Georgia Republican Party.
Click through for story. There is a link to the NY TImes, but unless you have an account (free or paid, either should work) you won’t be able to get in.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Justice Clarence Thomas’s ethical lapses are likely also crimes. Time for an investigation.
Thom Hartmann – Activist’s Child Arrested…”Why” Will Shock You
Armageddon Update – Bye, Grandma Jean (hanky alert)
Puppet Regime – Kim Jong Un drunk dialing
Guy Finds Stray Kitten And Bonds Hard With Him
Beau – Let’s talk about top Florida Dems getting arrested….
Glenn Kirschner – Jim Jordan, who criminally defied a congressional subpoena, issues congressional subpoenas!
PoliticsGirl – You Wanna Fix this?
Farron Balanced – Is Trump Hiding A Secret Child?
Liberal Redneck – Trump Takes Away from TN Travesty
Stranded Horseshoe Crab Stuck On His Back Gets Help
Beau – Let’s talk about Republican or Democrat….
Yesterday, the radio opera was Puccini’s “Tosca,” an opera which strikes very close to home in multiple circumstances … including the circumstances the United States is currently in politically (and legally.) The title character is a beautiful, celebrated, passionate, insecure, and rather naive singer who is in love with the tenor, a political activist. The chief of police, the de facto dictator (at least of the city), who is such a jerk that Napoleon looks good to the activists, has the hots for her. He also knows her lover, Mario, is an activist, and therefore wants him dead for both reasons. There is torture, there is extortion, there is desperation, and by the end of the opera all three are dead. It’s quite a trip. It wasn’t the first opera I saw live, but I was quite young when I saw it first – about 18. It was on a Saturday. The previous evening, I had been to a get-together with the professors and other students in the Classics Department (my major.) One graduate student was kind of pushing me to accept an alcoholic drink (but I had driven to the occasion, and would have to drive home), and at one point he said, “Don’t you want to be happy?” I replied, “I am happy already,” “What?” he replied. “How dare you be happy without artificial means?” It was funny, and we both laughed, but it wasn’t so funny the next day when he had been found a suicide. I learned about it maybe an hour before I was to leave for the opera with the friend who had invited me. It really hit home. To this day I cannot see or hear or think about “Tosca” without remembering. I also can’t help loving “Tosca.”
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Crooks and Liars – ‘You Bet!’: Peter Doocy Taken To The Woodshed By John Kirby
Quote – “Proud of the fact that we got more than 124,000 people safely out of Afghanistan? You bet,” Kirby shot back. “Proud of the fact that American troops were able to seize control of a defunct airport and get it operational in 24 hours? You bet. Proud of the fact that we now have about 100,000 Afghans, our former allies and partners, living in this country and working toward citizenship? You bet!”
Click through. there’s a video if tou can stand Doocy’s voice – I can’t. I’m sharing this for John Kirby’s remarks. For an operation which was deliberately set up – by Trump** – to fail, there is indeed a lot to be proud of.
Democratic Underground (littlemisssmartypants) – A “brilliant story about…JustinPearson” from Tennessee.
Quote – When I was a young organizer, we would often sit in [Memphis City Schools] board meetings…. This particular night I noticed a young man who was sitting and waiting to speak…. Once he got to the podium the room completely shifted…. He challenged the Board to answer for why they had such low expectations for his school and his community…. That kid is an adult now and that adult just got expelled from our house floor making national news….
Click through for the full story. I’m not crying, you’re crying. If they hold special elections, his district – both districts – should vote them back in and keep doing so as long as necessary. And then elect both to Congress (Along with Gloria Johnson.)
Food For Thought
