Glenn Kirschner – Legal Recap, March 2022: From Resignation of NY Prosecutors to DOJ Expanding Criminal Probe of Trump
The Lincoln Project – Trump and Russia: Partners in Crime
Thom Hartmann – Didn’t Putin Call for Regime Change in America?
The Ring of Fire – Biden Pushes For Wealth Tax On Obscenely Rich Americans
Rebel HQ – Mitch McConnell PROVES He’s A Partisan Hack
Cracked – If Insurance Companies Were Honest
Beau – Let’s talk about mom and social constructs…
Yesterday, I actually managed to place a grocery order in themorning and schedule it for this evening. And it actually came a little after six (I asked fror a window from 6-8) and by 8 I hadeverything that neded to be put away, put awat. And no substitutes. A couple of things missing or shorted, and the dishwashing liquid leaked over a bunch of things, but didn’t actually destroy anything, just made them icky to put away.
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Short Takes –
Crooks & Liars – Fortenberry, Convicted Liar And Thin-skinned Bully, Resigns
Quote – Nebraska Republican Congressman Jeff Fortenberry is a convicted liar who has now resigned. Good. But he has never been held accountable for abusing the power of his office to hunt down and threaten the jobs of people who criticized him with a joke. You might remember his Chief of Staff made national news for threatening a state university professor for LIKING a Facebook post of a sign calling him Fartenberry.
Click through for more. While he heeds to be held accountable (and probably won’t) for his bullying, this is still good news. One down, 193 (or thereabouts) to go.
Letters from an American – March 31, 2022
Quote – Today, Judge Mark E. Walker of the Federal District Court in Tallahassee, Florida, struck down much of the new elections law passed by the Florida legislature after the 2020 election. This is the first time a federal court has sought to overrule the recent attempts of Republican-dominated state legislatures to rig the vote, and Walker made thorough work of it…. “This case is about our sacred right to vote,” Walker wrote, “won at great cost in blood and treasure. Courts have long recognized that, because “the right to exercise the franchise in a free and unimpaired manner is preservative of other basic civil and political rights, any alleged infringement of the right of citizens to vote must be carefully and meticulously scrutinized.”
Click through for story and sources. While we can’t depend on this not being appeales, not on keeping the ground gained if it’s appealed, it is still hopeful. Heather, BTW, has been on a roll. I’ll be sharing more of her in the next few days.
CPR – CU Boulder to host UN human rights summit on climate change
Quote – The University of Colorado Boulder will host a global climate summit in partnership with UN Human Rights. Thought leaders attending the gathering will examine climate change as a human rights crisis. CU Chancellor Phil DiStefano talked about the “Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit” in front of alumni and students in Washington, D.C. earlier this week. The idea for the summit came out of the UN climate change conference that took place in Glasgow last year.
Click through for story. This kind of thing is why Colorado MAGAts refer to the city of Boulder as “the People’s Republic of Boulder,” which certainly says at least as much about them as it does about Bloulder.
Food For Thought:
Glenn Kirschner – Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, Conflicts of Interest & the Need for an Impeachment Inquiry
Meidas Touch – Rep. Raskin TROLLS GOP with ‘cocaine-fueled orgies’ slam
The Lincoln Project – Compromised
RepresentUs – Wisconsin Election Officials Face Death Threats
The Ring of Fire – Missouri Republicans Demand Citizens Repay Unemployment Benefits (Legally, the government s correct – but it’s also true that, yes, they COULD legally forgive it – and, morally , should.)
Brent Terhune – A Madison Cawthorn Party
Beau – Let’s talk about why the public’s opinion doesn’t count….
Yesterday, the radio opera was Eugene Onegin, a title charcter who would certainly be a poster child for FAFO except tht these days our MAGAts are doing so much more. It’s from a work by Pushkin which kind of foreshadoed Pushkin’s own death, containing as it does the death of a poet in a duel. But the music (Tchaikovsky) is gorgeous. And it certainly demonstrates some of the harms of unchecked privilege.And it’s not such an unusual story, especially then. There’s a duet at the beginning there’s a duet between the heroine’s mother and her housekeeper on the theme of “God sends us habit instead of happiness,” which I find terribly poignant.
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Short Takes –
HuffPost – Amazon Workers On Staten Island Vote To Form Union In Historic Upset
Quote – The labor victory in Staten Island is all the more remarkable because of the union’s unlikely roots. Amazon Labor Union was formed just last year by a group of workers in New York. It is led by Chris Smalls, a former Amazon worker whom the company controversially fired early in the pandemic after he spoke out about safety concerns, and Derrick Palmer, who works at JFK8.
Click through for this story. There was also a vote in Alabama, of which the results are not in as I type. It’s a long shot – but not impossible – but IF this Chris (short for Christian) Smalls is a direct descendant of Robert Smalls, Jeff Bezos does not have a clue what and who he is up against.
Artists paint Ukrainian sunflowers and dozens of other murals as art returns to the levee in Pueblo
Quote – Pueblo’s levee once held the Guinness World Record for the largest outdoor mural. For decades, hundreds of artists like Ramu painted on the nearly three-mile-long structure, creating one big mural. But eight years ago repairs to the levee destroyed that artwork. Now construction is done and artists have been back at work…. Their first goal is to be the largest outdoor mural in the United States. But they won’t stop there. The plan is to regain the world record, which is currently held by a site in South Korea. There’s a lot more levee to paint before that happens though.
Click through for story and some pictures. It’s always fun to hear about something practically in my own back yard I did not know about, especially when it’s somethng I can take pride in.
Ukraine Awards Medal To Border Guard Who Told ‘Russian Warship, Go F*** Yourself’
Quote – The Ukrainian border guard who said “Russian warship, go fuck yourself” during the defense of Snake Island has been released from captivity, Ukraine’s military announced on Tuesday…. Thirteen Ukrainian border guards stationed on the tiny Zmiinyi Island in the Black Sea, known in English as Snake Island, defiantly told a Russian ship to “go fuck yourself” when they were asked to surrender in February. The border guards were originally thought to have then been killed by Russian forces.
Click through. There’s a short video (in Ukranian.) “Glory to the hero” indeed.
Food For Thought:
Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Expands Grand Jury Investigation Into Fake Electors, Insurrection Planners & Trump Associates
Meidas Touch – Republicans Vote to Kill Americans
The Lincoln Project – #MAGAMADNESS
MSNBC – Report: Trump Cut Into Plans Of WH Photographer And Used Her Photos For His Own Book
Rebel HQ – Richard Ojeda DUNKS On Trump Minion Dave Rubin
Armageddon Update – And The Oscar Goes To…SLAP!
Beau – Let’s talk about Ukrainian helicopters and Russian oil….
Yesterday I got my trash and recycling carts movedaway from the curb back to where they “live.”And that was plenty. It’s been a busy week for me, so I was glad to have some respite. I did a little knitting and a ittle gaming, and tried to get to bed earlier than I had been most of the week. I’ll try not to get spoiled.
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Short Takes –
Report: DOJ Grand Jury Has Been Secretly Targeting Trump World For Months
Quote – The Department of Justice, as some of us said all along, is doing their job. They have been doing their job. This didn’t just happen in the past week because Congress members publicly complained. Even the reporters who wrote this piece get it wrong by saying the probe has “expanded.” These grand jury subpoenas didn’t just fall out of the sky, and it’s not in response to public pressure. Leaking the news? Yeah, that’s for the benefit of the public. But this is a hugely complex investigation, and they’re being careful not to screw it up.
Click through for details and some interesting reactions.
Navy ship to be named for late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Quote – Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro announced on Thursday, the final day of Women’s History Month, that the Navy would name a replenishment oiler ship after Ginsburg. The ship is part of the John Lewis-class of replenishment oilers which are named in honor of individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of civil rights. Other ships in the class are named after John Lewis, Robert F. Kennedy, and Sojourner Truth.
Click through for background. The entire class appears to be relatively new.
“CODA” Actor Troy Kotsur Becomes First Deaf Man to Win an Oscar: “This Is Our Moment”
Quote – “CODA” star Troy Kotsur just made history at the 2022 Oscars. The 53-year-old actor is the first deaf man to be nominated and win an award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Kotsur took home the award for best actor in a supporting role on Sunday for “CODA,” beating out Ciarán Hinds, Jesse Plemons, J.K. Simmons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee.
Click through for story. Yeah, know, I don’t follow the Oscars either – the last time I watched was when Halle Berry won in 2001. But any diversity milestone in films is worth celebrating.
Food For Thought:
Glenn Kirschner – on Zerlina – some good news
The Lincoln Project – Partner
Ojeda Live – Top 5 Republican Sell-Outs
Now This News – Here’s a story about a Florida Man which won’t male you groan. But you may want a hanky.
Robert Reich – Here’s What It’s Like Having $100 Billion vs. $1 Billion
Feisty Foster Kitten Doesn’t Grow Bigger – WIDDLE
Beau – Let’s talk about mapping the unthinkable….
Yesterday was Transgender Day of Visibility, often abbreviated as TDOV. My Women’s History short date was not picked to celebrate it, because i didn’t know or remember it, but it did just cross ay mind that she might have been trans. But she also might have been gender neutral, or neither of those. It was just a[n interesting] coincidence. Today, to make up for it, I am featuring a real-life transgendered person from history. Some of you may remember seeing or hearing about her during her lifetime. I do. At that tme transsexuality (as it was then called) did not have the entire religious right line up against it She was more or less accepted on her own merits – not that she was universally acclaimed, but she did enjoy notable successes. I’m proud to say that I was not brought up to think of trangender in any negative way – just as something that sometimes happens. BTW, I will have no April Fool’s pranks in either post today. Reality is prankish enough.
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Short Takes –
The 19th – What Transgender Day of Visibility means for trans Texans this year
Quote – Transgender Day of Visibility (TDOV), celebrated annually on March 31, is a moment to celebrate the lives of trans people and to raise awareness of injustices they face. This year, it carries a special significance for some transgender Texans: Trans people still living in the state, as well as those who have moved away for school or work, told The 19th that they are thinking about how to use their own voices to uplift trans youth — and about what being visible ultimately means to them.
Click through for much more. Most straight people would benefit from a lot more analysis and contemplation of our own sexuality. Those who instead focus on others are wasting a lot of time and energy which could more profitably be ised to improve their lives. (Just my opinion.)
Colorado Public Radio – New Colorado law bans people from openly carrying firearms near voting locations
Quote – Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law on Wednesday that bans anyone in Colorado from openly carrying a firearm within 100 feet of a voting location, unless their property falls within that buffer…. It passed with no Republican backers, who argued it infringed on 2nd Amendment rights.
Click through for story. If “No electioneering within a hundred feet of the polls” doesn’t violate the First Amendment, then this doesn’t violate the Second. Ideally, all states should have this law on the books (not that there shouldn’t also bemoe voter protecton.)
Wikipedia – Christine Jorgensen
Quote – Jorgensen was drafted into the U.S. Army during World War II. After her military service, she attended several schools and worked; it is during this time she learned about sex reassignment surgery and traveled to Europe, where in Copenhagen, Denmark, obtained special permission to undergo a series of operations beginning in 1952. She returned to the United States in the early 1950s and her transition was the subject of a New York Daily News front-page story. She became an instant celebrity, known for her directness and polished wit, and used the platform to advocate for transgender people. Jorgensen often lectured on the experience of being transgender and published an autobiography in 1967.
Click thrugh for details. There was much more to her life. People – most if not all – sometimes feel trapped. I don’t know how one could feel any more trapped, inside their own body, than a transgendered person, and particulrle in our current culture.
Food For Thought:
