Open Thread – Page 251 – Politics Plus

Open Thread April 21, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:49 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 212022

Yesterday, it occurred to me that one of these days, am going to set up and schedule an Open Thread where the top of the post just says “Yesterday,” and nothing else. Fortunately, today is not that day. But I’m sure it will come. When it does (maybe more than once), don’t worry about me. If I managed to get everything else up, I’ll be fine. I just meant to fill that in early, got scatterbrained, and forgot to go back and finish it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Democratic Underground (Smackdown 2019) – Hawley needs to reconsider!
Quote – Cease and desist order was given to Senator Hawley last month and he has yet to comply over copyright infringement laws. What might be the issue? A national media photographer took that famous picture of the Senator with his raises fist before he was to vote against President Biden win over Trump. That photo is being sold by Hawley.
Click through, and do scroll down the comments. There is a variant on that photo in one comment which needs to be seen. Accidental violations of copyright can be atoned for … but copyright and other forms of intellectual property shold not be messed with.

The 19th – ‘Don’t Say Gay’ bills aren’t new. They’ve just been revived.
Quote – [Logan Casey, senior policy researcher and adviser for the MAP] said the bills are relics of the AIDS crisis, when panic about homosexuality dictated school curriculum. It also dates back to the infamous “Save Our Children” campaign led by activist Anita Bryant in the 1970s to overturn anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people in Miami, Florida. “Once the HIV epidemic came into the picture, then a bunch of states started considering and enacting laws that banned instruction on sexuality and homosexuality in public education, channeling this ‘Save Our Children’ campaign energy and the fear and prejudice during the HIV epidemic,” Casey said.
Click through for more history. “Republican lawmakers say the new spate of curriculum bills allow parents to decide what their children learn about sexuality at a young age,” which is incredibly naive. It will aactually insure that children lean fictions from their peers rather than facts from responsible adults. (It will also make them more vulnerable to sexual abuse.)

Trump[**]’s Nightmare Song Should Be “Georgia On My Mind”
Quote – You’ll notice that there is a dead month from May 30 to June 1st, when the panel will begin hearing testimony. But it isn’t really a dead month. Willis will be able to use it to present evidence before the grand jury to obtain search warrants and subpoenas. This will empower her investigation to move farther, faster. But Willis dangled a little bit more.
Click through for both the background and the new teasers. This is good news. Glenn will be talking about it also – I’m not sure when that will pop up on the Video thread, since I try to keep his videos consecutive.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 4/20/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:37 am Open Thread, Politics

Apr 202022

Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump’s “Hub-and-Spoke” Conspiracy to Overturn the 2020 Presidential Election: An Explainer

The Lincoln Project – Still Loyal to Putin

MSNBC – The Reid Out – Malcolm Nance [I can make it starts when he starts, but I can’t make it end when he ends. So when you get to about 11:12, feel free to stop it.

Liberal Redneck – Singin’ Plane Christians and Ilhan Omar

Cracked – If Chocolate Commercials Were Honest

German Shepherd Carries Cat Toy Around The House For The New Kitten To Play With

Beau – Let’s talk about shifting demographics….

Open Thread April 20, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 202022

Yesterday, I filed some health insurance claims, including for Part D premiums, and set up a recurring claim for the latter for the rest of the year. It’s revealing (to me) that I had not set up the recurring claim in December, which I normally do, but you may remember December was when the comment system crashed. But I would have expected to notice before April that I hadn’t done it. But I had other things going on each month. Anyway, it’s done now. Also yesterday, I heard from Carrie B that her granddaughter-in-law’s surgery is successful. Not, of course, pain free, but her medical team is working on pain magament, and her grandson is getting 2 weeks off of work whikle sha convalesces. She is so very grateful for everyone’s prayers and vibes. (She’s also pretty proud of her grandson. I told her, yes, that’s what a real man does – takes care of his family.)

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

https://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/3270194-three-cases-to-watch-as-supreme-court-readies-for-final-oral-arguments-of-term/
The Hill – Three cases to watch as Supreme Court readies for final oral arguments of term
Quote – :Trump-era ‘remain in Mexico’ policy,” “Miranda rights,” “Prayer in school athletics.”
Click through for pros, cons, and details. Any one could be a blow to democracy if wrongly decided. And I am not the only one to notice that Roberts has lost any control over the court that he ever had.

Letters From An American – April 17, 2022
Quote – Today, political scientist and member of the Russian legislative body Vyacheslav Nikonov said, “in reality, we embody the forces of good…. The intellectual leap from committing war crimes to claiming to be on the side of good might be explained by an interview published in the New Statesman at the beginning of April. Speaking with former Portuguese secretary of state for European affairs Bruno Maçães, Sergey Karaganov, a former advisor to Russian president Vladimir Putin, predicted the end of the western democracies that have shaped the world since World War II. Dictators, he suggested, will take over. Democracy is failing and authoritarianism rising, Karaganov said, because of democracy’s bad moral foundations
Click through for complete letter. It is absolutely true that evil, corrupt Republicans think, to a person, they they are good and we are evil. That is undeniable. How? How can that be? We need to know.

Gizmodo – We’re Publishing the Facebook Papers. Here’s What They Say About Donald Trump, the 2020 Election, and Jan. 6.
Quote – As part of an ongoing project to make these once-confidential records accessible to the general public, Gizmodo is today—for the first time—publishing 28 of the documents previously exclusively shared with Congress and the media. Meta declined to comment on the release.
Click through for a real scoop. The actual papers, as opposed to commentary on them (though there is some of that also.)

Food For Thought

Video Thread 4/19/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:51 am Open Thread, Politics, Religion

Apr 192022

Glenn Kirschner – Stephen Miller Testifies to J6 Panel: How might he have criminal exposure? Let us count the ways.

The Lincoln Project – Abbott’s Wall –

Voice of America – Ukraine Refuses to Surrender Besieged Mariupol to Russian Forces

Thom Hartmann – Will SCOTUS Turn America Into A Theocracy?

Parody Peojrct – THE BANANA REPUBLICAN VOTE NO SONG

Beau – Let’s talk about Patrick Lyoya in Grand Rapids….

Open Thread April 19, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 192022

Yesterday, after a nice quiet Easter, my inbox kept filling up again after I’d empty it. It wasn’t as bad as it gets at the ends of months (and, even worse, quarters), but it was a smmall annoyance. Obviously, I sirvived (grin). I am still knitting crutch covers. It took me until the fifth one to finally optimize the casting on process … but I learned a lot from that, so it was well worth it.

Cartoon – 19 0419Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

The New Yorker [Jane Mayer] – The Slime Machine Targeting Dozens of Biden Nominees
Quote – [S]ince at least 1987, when President Ronald Reagan unsuccessfully nominated Robert Bork to be a Justice, the fights over Supreme Court nominees have been especially nasty. Yet the A.A.F.’s approach represents a new escalation in partisan warfare, and underscores the growing role that secret spending has played in deepening the polarization in Washington.
Click through for details. Things just seem to get worse and worse sometimes.

POGO – Misconduct at CBP Runs Deep, and Congress Must Address this Systemic Problem
Quote – For years, officers and agents from Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the largest law enforcement agency in the country, have faced few consequences for mistreating migrants, even when their assaults were captured on film — even when they killed people. A new investigation from the Project On Government Oversight now shows that this lack of accountability has shielded some CBP agents from being held accountable for other unconscionable behavior as well.
Click through for specifics. In the United States today, any group that does any policing should, sadly, be automatically suspect. That runs deep, and far too few peole are willing to even look at it, let alone do something about it.

Democratic Underground (demmiblue) – A Bowl for Ukraine
Quote – Not only that, he had over 20,000 orders for bowls and chopping boards, which, he calculated, would take him 32yrs to fulfil. And now the press were knocking at the door. It was a lot to take in for a wee lad of 12yrs…. But Gabriel was certain of one thing – he wanted to share the kindness. So instead of carving 20,000 bowls, he would carve just one special one – his #BowlForUkraine
Click through for story. If you needed some hope after those first two … well, I did too.

Food For Thought (crude, yes – but clever)

Video Thread 4/18/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:47 am Open Thread, Politics

Apr 182022

Glenn Kirschner – Rep. Raskin says J6 committee has evidence of crimes that have “not yet been alleged”

The Lincoln Project – Affinity

VOA News – FACT CHECK: Russia Misrepresents Ukraine Farm Drones as Chemical Weapon

Truth Matters – The Copfather

Robert Reich – How to Stop Profiteering and Get Money in Your Pocket

Mark Fiore – Republicans: Still All-In With Trump

Beau – Let’s talk about the Air Force sending a message…. (and WHAT a message!)

Open Thread April 18, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:39 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Apr 182022

Yesterday,, being Easter, I more or less relaxed.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Teri Kanefield – It’s Not About “Faith”
Quote – One point I keep making is that rule of law is difficult. It’s frustrating. It strives for fairness but isn’t always fair. Perfect fairness is not possible on Earth, where human beings are flawed, and there is constant pushback from those who prefer autocracy. This causes people to grow cynical and reject democracy. But the only real alternative is autocracy. “Confidence in democratic institutions” doesn’t mean “faith that we always get what we want” or “faith that courts will reach the right results.”
Click through for full argument. I found this through “Crooks and Liars” blog roundup.

Federal Appeals Court Upholds Dismissal of Devin Nunes Defamation Claim Over 2019 CNN Report
Quote – Nunes had originally sued in federal court in Virginia, but a federal judge, citing concerns about “form shopping” and noting that there was “no logical connection between the events in this case and this district,” transferred the case to New York. Chief U.S. District Judge Laura Taylor Swain dismissed Nunes’ claim in February 2021. Swain found that California law should apply to Nunes’ case, since that is where he lived and would have presumably suffered the greatest damage to his reputation. In applying California law, Swain further found that Nunes had failed to meet the statutory requirement that a plaintiff alleging defamation must make a written demand for a retraction within a short period of time after publication. Nunes had not done so, and Swain determined that he could not maintain his claim.
Click through for details. I’m sure Dairy Devin doesn’t think so , but I find this funny AF. “Musical states,” anyone?

Florida rejects 54 math textbooks over ‘prohibited topics’ including critical race theory
Quote – Florida’s education department has rejected 54 mathematics textbooks from next year’s school curriculum, citing alleged references to critical race theory among a range of reasoning for some of the rejections, officials announced. The department said in a news release Friday that some of the books had been rejected for failure to comply with the state’s content standards, Benchmarks for Excellent Student Thinking [Best], but that 21% of the books were disallowed “because they incorporate prohibited topics or unsolicited strategies, including CRT”.
Click through for what little detail the state was willing to provde. Heaven knows what they think CRT is – but, whatever they think, it isn’t that.

Food For Thought:

Video Thread 4/17/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:50 am Open Thread, Politics

Apr 172022

(Putting this before Glenn – because it was recorded before the verdict, and Glenn recorded after it)
Ring of Fire – MAGA Rioter Says Trump ‘Authorized’ The Attack On The Capitol