Open Thread – Page 226 – Politics Plus

Open Thread September 21, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:46 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 212022

Yesterday, I decided that if I wanted to recognize Banned Books Week, I had better do so before the week was over (hence the FFT). I also received a grocery order. It came kind of late, and a few things were missing, but no substitutions, thank heaven. Both store that deliver are getting better at this (I probably should knock on wood as I type that.) Both now allow you to go down the entire list and mark each item “no substitutions” (or not) – so they don’r need to do any second guessing. One of them allows you to select a preferred substitute from a list of similar items – or specify no substitutions if none of them works This can be time consuming, but it’s way preferable to fighting after the fact about a bad substitution.

Also – Tish James has a mystery press conference scheduled for this morning at 10:30 Eastern.

Cartoon – 21

Short Takes –

Political Wire – Liz Cheney Introduces Bill to Avoid Repeat of January 6
Quote – [T]he legislation would direct challenges to state elections to courts and limit the vice president’s role in electoral vote-counting as “ministerial.” It also would raise the bar to challenge a state’s electors to one-third of both the House and Senate. Currently, if one member of Congress from each chamber objects to a presidential election during the arcane certification process, the chambers have to debate and hold a vote on the objection, as was done in 2021
Click through for article. It will definitely help (if they can get it through both houses, of course. The co-sponsor is Zoe Lofgren. Both are (says Captain Obvious) on the J6 committee. The more the committee learns, the tighter they could probably make it – but this is insurance against losing one or both houses. No point letting the perfect be the enemy of the good.

CPR News – New COVID Boosters: What to know about the bivalent vaccines that offer better protection against omicron
Quote – Q How is this new bivalent booster different from the original booster? A The original vaccines and booster were monovalent, which means they only contained genetic information for the original coronavirus strain. The new bivalent booster contains information for both the original strain we’ve seen since 2020 and the most commonly seen one now — omicron and its subvariant BA.5, which we’re seeing causing the most infections in Colorado.
Click through for details. Colorado may be aabout a week late to the party, so you may already know this. But just in case.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 9/20/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:14 pm Open Thread, Politics

Sep 202022

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ appeals Judge Cannon’s ruling that FBI may not investigate Trump’s classified documents crimes

Meidas Touch – Former Trump Aide’s EXPLOSIVE ADMISSION will come back to haunt Trump in Mar-A-Lago investigation

The Lincoln Project – Elections Matter

MSNBC – ‘Outrageous’ ‘Untethered’: DOJ Vets Slam Judge’s Ruling On Trump’s Stolen Docs

Parody Project – THE CRIMES THEY ARE ARRANGING

Beau – Let’s talk about red state statistics….

Open Thread September 20, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:14 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 202022

Yesterday, when I opened up Weather Underground to record the times of sunrise and sunset (I want to have a full year), I noticed two things. The first one I couldn’t have missed, becausethe first thing that shows up id a 10-day graph of local weather conditions with the temperatiure in red – and yesterday, showing that Wednesday and Thursday are going to be cold. Most people might not think so, but for me, highs in the high fifties and lows in the low forties are “bundle up, or spend the day sneezing” weather. But the other thing I noticed was that California is due for some much-needed rain. I hope it goes into all the places that need it the most, and doesn’t flood too much. I expect Colleen will keep us up to date – hopefully her home will not flood.

Cartoon – 20 Meredith loaded

Short Takes –

Civil Discourse – Will the 11th Circuit Trump Trump?
Quote – By now, we all know that DOJ executed a lawful search warrant at Mar-a-Lago after Trump spent months haggling over the return of papers that belonged to the government. Ultimately one of his lawyers signed a document certifying that all of the materials were returned. This was a lie. Numerous records including approximately one hundred classified documents were found when DOJ executed its search warrant. Some folders that should have contained classified material were empty. Nothing is publicly known about the fate of those documents.
Click through. This is a great summry of how we got to where we are in the documents investigation (and they are not all that easy to keep straight.)

Justice News – Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Administers the Oath of Allegiance and Delivers Congratulatory Remarks at Ellis Island Ceremony in Celebration of Constitution Week and Citizenship Day
Quote – Like [the authors of the Constitution], each of you has now made a commitment not only to this nation and your fellow Americans, but to the generations of Americans who will come after you. In that commitment, you have given your posterity – and the posterity of all of us – a precious gift. I know how valuable that gift is because it is the same one my grandparents gave my family and me…. Of course, we still have work to do to make a more perfect union. Although the Rule of Law has always been our guiding light, we have not always been faithful to it. The Rule of Law is not assured. It is fragile. It demands constant effort and vigilance.
Click through for the full speech. Yes, this is a feel-good article. We sometimes need (at least I do) to allow ourselves to feel good, even though what we are feeling good about may not be perfct.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 9/19/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:44 am Open Thread, Politics

Sep 192022

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Cannon, classified document denier; Governors Abbott & DeSantis & kidnapping by inveiglement

Meidas Touch – MAGA Republicans’ Trafficking Stunt BACKFIRES when Residents Welcome Migrants with Open Arms

The Lincoln Project – Big Problems (This one ends rather oddly – long black screen with music. Not sure what the point is. It’s plenty scary without that.)

MSNBC – Massachusetts AG Candidate Blasts Gov. DeSantis’s ‘Political Stunt’

Liberal Redneck – Immigrant Shipments

Beau – Let’s talk about the GOP needing more time for marriage equality….

Open Thread September 19, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:07 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 192022

Yesterday, I received an email from the Holocaust Museum – not unusual. Sometimes I can handle reading some of the stories, sometimes not so much. But this one was only one story – about a survivor, David Bayer, who is also a museum volunteer, and is about to celebrate his 100th birthday. I signed an electronic birthday card for him, and you can too if you wish to. I really wonder – so many flat-earthers, and Holocaust deniers, and now election deniers – David has reached many people – but what will we do when he is gone? (Quote from the letter: “I’ve had many Museum visitors tell me it is firsthand experiences with survivors such as David that create a personal connection to Holocaust history.”

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Letters from an American – September 16, 2022
Quote – As Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo says, none of it adds up. None of it, that is, except the politics. DeSantis apparently dispatched the migrants with a videographer to take images of them arriving, entirely unexpectedly, on the upscale island, presumably in an attempt to present the image that Democratic areas can’t handle immigrants (in fact, more than 12% of the island’s 17,000 full-time residents were born in foreign countries, and 22% of the residents are non-white). But the residents of the island greeted the migrants; found beds, food, and medical care; and worked with authorities to move them back to the mainland where there are support services and housing. In the meantime, there are questions about the legality of DeSantis chartering planes to move migrants from state to state.
Click through for full letter. She fills in the DeSantis travesty with background on Martha’s Vineyard and the truth about immigration and immigration policy.

Crooks & Liars – Lindell’s Subpoena Reveals ‘Subjects’ Of [election tampering] Investigation
Quote – The subpoena covers “all records and information” on Lindell’s phone that constitutes as evidence against seven named individuals or any other unnamed co-conspirators. It details several areas of interest for investigators related to Dominion voting systems and any efforts to damage or access them. Two of the individuals, Belinda Knisley and Sandra Brown, were Peters’ deputies in the Mesa County elections office and were charged in the Colorado state case earlier this year.
Click through for more. I added “election tampering” to the title because there are so many investigation it’s hard to keep them straight.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 9/18/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:22 pm Open Thread, Politics

Sep 182022

Glenn Kirschner – Georgia DA Willis says prison likely for election criminals; Meadows is subpoenaed by DOJ/grand jury

Meidas Touch – BREAKING: Trump files BIZARRE OBJECTION to DOJ’s Special Master Selections

The Lincoln Project – Raskin Fights Back

Ojeda Live – MAGA-hacks DeSantis and Abbott traffic immigrants like livestock

MSNBC – Joyce Vance: Mar-a-Lago Investigation ‘Just Keeps Getting Worse’ For Trump

Beau – Let’s talk about the Little Mermaid and relatability….

Open Thread September 18, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 182022

Yesterday, the radio opera was “The Pearl Fishers” by Georges Bizet (who is far better known for “Carmen.”) It is a typical triangle story with an exotic setting (maybe Sri Lanke, or maybe not.) It’s an early work and in some ways uneven, but what makes it stand out is the tenor-baritone duet “Au fond du temple saint,” which as an expression of male friendship in opera is perhaps only rivalled by the one in Verdi’s “Don Carlo” – musically, that is. I saw this streamed from the Met and the host during intermission asked the tenor and the baritone whether performing this famous duet in cotext has informed their interpretations. The tenor replied that he had not known until learning the whole opera that in this duet his every word was a lie (in the “Don Carlo” duet both the tenor and the baritone are in deadly earnest.) I think that’s a bit harsh, but certainly the tenor is not being strictly truthful throughout. It’s still gorgeous. This is the first of four programs which were recorded in China, and it’s sung in French, and the four principals appear to be European, by their names, as is the conductor. Besides the production photos, some photos of the National Center for the Performing Arts in Beijing were included in the supplemental materials. It is extremely different from, for instance, the Sydney Opera House, but it appears both architects had the same desire to make people say “Wow!” – inside and out.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Wonkette – Patagonia Founder Hands Entire Company To The Lorax, For The Trees
Quote – Rather than selling the company or taking it public, Mr. Chouinard, his wife and two adult children have transferred their ownership of Patagonia, valued at about $3 billion, to a specially designed trust and a nonprofit organization. They were created to preserve the company’s independence and ensure that all of its profits — some $100 million a year — are used to combat climate change and protect undeveloped land around the globe…. The company will continue to run as a profit-making bidness under the new arrangement, without direct ownership by the Chouinard family; the family will oversee the “Patagonia Purpose Trust” to make sure the company’s values and commitments are maintained, what with all the social and environmental responsibilities and sustainable manufacturing. Patagonia will also continue its existing practice of donating one percent of its sales to grassroots environmental activists.
Click through for story and free NYT link. Good news is always welcome, and this is jawdropping. This is orders of magnitude bigger than a charitable foundation. The closest think I can think of in history to it is Siddhartha Gautama – but he didn’t set up a trust, he simply walked away from the wealth.

HuffPost – GOP Governors Are Escalating Their Use Of Migrants As Political Pawns
Quote – “States like Massachusetts, New York and California will better facilitate the care of these individuals who they have invited into our country by incentivizing illegal immigration through their designation as ‘sanctuary states’ and support for the Biden administration’s open border policies,” the communications director for DeSantis said on Thursday. “We’re sending migrants to her backyard to call on the Biden Administration to do its job & secure the border,” Abbott tweeted.
Click through for details. This is so outrageous you have almost certainly read about it by now. But because it’s so outrageous, I didn’t feel I coulf ignore it either.

Food For Thought