Video Thread 2/3/22

 Posted by at 12:17 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Feb 032022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump Pushes Protests, Promises Pardons During Texas Rally: Reveals his Fear Indictments are Near

American Bridge – Co-Chair Cecile Richards: Biden making historic SCOTUS pick

Meidas Touch – Nikki Fried BLASTS Ron DeSantis for HIDING TESTS as Omicron surged

The Lincoln Project – Vote While It Counts

politicsrus – Our Future Needs Strong Public Schools

Radio DJ Drives An Hour Every Day For Months To Gain This Wild Pittie’s Trust

Beau – Let’s talk about fake electors and real subpoenas….

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Open Thread for February 3, 2022

 Posted by at 6:38 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 032022
 

Yesterday, I got rid of another thousand emails from TC’s PP Email. Only about 5000 to go. It got me back to the end of August last year. Also, I note that February is Black History Month, and while I don’t plan on ignoring all other news, I will be trying to include at least one Black History story in the Open Thread every day. Incidentally, the Met Opera put up a video which I expected to be like a trailer – but turned out to be just about an hour, featuring full arias and scenes from complete productions, performed by singers from as well known as Leontyne Price down to as little known as Ryan Speedo Green – and completely unrestricted.  Incidentally, if you are ever looking for an impressinve story of overcoming obstacles, google “Ryan Speedo Green”

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Short Takes –

Huff Post – Bomb Threats Reported At Historically Black Colleges For Second Day
Quote – For the second day in a row, historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) were the target of bomb threats across the country, with this latest wave coming on the first day of Black History Month. Campuses were shut down and classes moved to remote learning following the threats impacting more than a dozen schools as of Tuesday morning.
Click through for details. This is what American Naziism looks like. I got back to my inbox and saw this just after streaming the hour of operatic black history I mentioned in the intro. What a letdown. But not nearly so much for me as for students whose education is being threatened.

The 19th – The 19th Explains: Biden prepares to nominate a Black woman to the Supreme Court. What’s next?
Quote – There’s a lot we don’t know: who Biden’s choice will be, the speed at which this whole process will work, or what questions will emerge as senators consider the nomination. But we do know this Supreme Court confirmation will largely work the same as others. Here’s a guide on what to expect and what we’ll be looking at for potential nominees and the months ahead.
Click through. If I had to name a group with no lawyers and no politicians which didn’t need this explanation, the readers ot Politics Plus would be that group. But it could come in handy to share with others who are less attentive. Also, it has bckground on some names being floated.

Law and Crime – Trump Impeachment Witness Sues Giuliani, Trump Jr., and White House Officials for Allegedly Violating His Civil Rights
Quote – “This lawsuit seeks long-overdue accountability for unlawful actions,” the document says in its opening salvo. It accuses the defendants of conspiring to help the ex-president “obstruct a constitutional proceeding by intimidating and retaliating against a key witness.”
Click through for story, including the 73 page court filing if you are so inclined. Long overdue indeed – but I’m not sure why just now. Of course it will further complicate their lives (and the lives of their counsel), and that may be at least part of the reasining. In any case, LTC Vindman deserves to see them held accountable.

Food For Thought:

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Video Thread 2/2/22

 Posted by at 11:40 am  Open Thread, Politics
Feb 022022
 

Glenn Kirschner – States Refer Fake Electors to DOJ for Investigation States Should Move on Prosecutions as Well

The Lincoln Project – Unlikely

Robert Reich – The Deficit Double Standard

Rebel HQ – Veteran SLAMS Newt Gingrich For Warmongering

Farron Balanced – Georgia Prosecutors Ask For FBI Protection Following Trump’s Weekend Rally

American Bridge – Stephen Colbert sings Ron Johnson’s Campaign Theme Song

Beau – Let’s talk about Deep Goat and releasing the transcript….

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Open Thread for February 2, 2022

 Posted by at 6:42 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 022022
 

Today is Twos-day (although we have an even bigger one coming on the 22nd.) Yesterday, I got the emails in TC’s PP email inbox down below 6000, which took me back into mid-November. I can only delete 23 at a time max, and skipping isn’t possible, so it’s not as fast as it could be … but I do think I can do up to a thousand a day most days. Fortunately, out of that over-a-thousand I kept less than 20, and 6 of those are backups. So it isn’t requiring too much thought.

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Mother Jones – School Boards Have Long Been a Tool of White Supremacy
Quote – This is the “local control” that Gov. Parson favors, where a “select” group is given legal authority to rebuke the evils they are convinced critical race theory will impart on white society. Throughout history, the “unpardonable sin” of educators moving toward racial progress without white consent has been atoned for in the same way: disgruntled white people band together on a school board or committee to erase unwanted Black people, texts, and consciousness.
Click through for history and background. Mother Jones also has an article on the Tennessee meeting at which “Maus” was banned.    And a recent Antiaues Roadshow featured a collector whp is cllecting the books which belonged to Prudence Crandall, just to keep her memory alive.  The segment starts at 35:22 and it’s only a few minutes.

NM Political Report – Bill would prosecute parents for allowing kids access to guns
Quote – The Bennie Hargrove Gun Safety Act, named after the student killed in the shooting at his downtown Albuquerque school, would make it illegal for a gun owner to allow a minor unauthorized access to their weapon. The proposed law doesn’t specify how a gun should be stored but says gun owners could be fined $1,000 for storing a weapon in such a way that would allow a minor to gain unauthorized access. If the child used the weapon to commit a crime, the owner could also be found guilty of a misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail.
Click through for story. It sounds more than reasonable to me. I hope it passes.

About Dr. Yadira Caraveo
Quote from Katie Porter – “I know that Dr. Yadira Caraveo is the best candidate to represent Colorado’s new 8th Congressional District. As a pediatrician, a former union representative, and a two-term state legislator, Dr. Caraveo is a trusted leader and a true reformer. In Congress, Dr. Caraveo will be a strong fighter for families and a critical voice to protect the future of our democracy.”
Click through to Caraveo’s personal info page. Unfortunately I do not live in the 8th District, which is in/around Adams County. But I wish her the best. Anyone supported by Katie Porter has my support too.

Food For Thought:
OMG just wait until they find out about Naked Mole-Rats!

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Video Thread 2/1/22

 Posted by at 12:12 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Feb 012022
 

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Considering Supreme Court Rejection of Trump’s Executive Privilege Claim in Mark Meadows Case

The Lincoln Project – Abbott Abased

Meidas Touch – Republican tries to explain how gas prices are Biden’s fault. It did not go well.

Republican Accountability Project – Kari Lake: Enemy of Democracy

Rebel HQ – Entitled Idiots Wage War On Science

Parody Project – Ted Lose

Beau – Let’s talk about Maus, Tennessee, and failing a test….

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Open Thread for February 1, 2022

 Posted by at 7:19 am  Blog News, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 012022
 

Yesterday, I managed to change ownership of the site at BlueHost into my name, using the password they had WWWendy assign. I haven’t changed it yet but I should manage that some time today. I have a lot of looking around to do there. All I looked at today besides ownership was email, and I finally found there how to get into the inbox for “tomcat@politicsplus.org.” There are more than 7000 emails in it. I deleted a little over 50, but there are still over 7000. Still, given time, that can now be dealt with.  And now we have time.

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Rober Reich – Midterm Watch: Why Trump and Gingrich offer the best hope for Democrats
Quote – But if Trump keeps at it — and of course he will —he’ll help the Democrats in the upcoming midterm elections by reminding the public of the attempted coup he and his Republican co-conspirators tried to pull off between the 2020 election and January 6. That would make the midterm election less of a referendum on Biden than on the Republican Party. (Don’t get me wrong. I think Biden is doing a good job, given the hand he was dealt. But Republicans are doing an even better job battering him — as his sinking poll numbers show.)
Click through for full explanation. Counterintuitive though this is, I think he’s right. As a Democrat, I’m not motivated by fantasy fears, but I am definitely motivated by real ones. And this is real.

Crooks and Liars – Strikes Work! Colorado Kroger Workers Get New Contract
Quote – “It shows that where the real power is with the people,” added [Kim] Cordova [president of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7, which organized the work stoppage], who was part of a panel convened by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) late Monday. “We’re hoping that we set the bar so that other workers in this country follow suit.”
Click through for story. This is good news for Colorado, but also for me personally. I was withing a couple of days of placing an order with King Soopers when I learned about the strike. So I ordered elsewhere (and didn’t get a bunch of stuff.) Now that it’s over, I can order stuff I didn’t get from Kings.

Wonkette – Parental ‘Concern’ Over Masks, CRT And Books Is Being Brought To You By Groups Who Hate Public Schools
Quote – For years, the goal of school privatization advocates has been to oppose funding for education and then criticize the public school system for failing, hoping that this will lead to parents taking their kids out of schools and becoming increasingly supportive of voucher programs and so-called “school choice,” with the ultimate goal being a for-profit education system usurping the public education system.
Click through for argument. It does make sense. (But it doesn’t make much sense that there is a town in Kentucky named “Science Hill.” That’s just wrong.”

Food For Thought:

Rinse and Repeat.  With minor adjustments, can be applied to any government function.

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Video Thread 1/31/22

 Posted by at 12:08 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jan 312022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Orders Stewart Rhodes, Leader of Oath Keepers, Jailed Pending his Seditious Conspiracy Trial
Crooks and Liars – ‘I Think I’m In Love’: Acosta Fawns Over GA Woman Unloading On Greene. At the site, there is a partial transcript – cherry-picked for the best part.

politicsrus – In God We Trust

Rebel HQ – Mike Lindell Has Hit Rock Bottom

Rocky Mountain Mike – Joe Rogan and the Damage Done

Here’s what happened when a non-cat guy adopted disabled kitten

Beau – Let’s talk about how George Floyd may transform the country again….

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Open Thread for January 31, 2022

 Posted by at 7:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 312022
 

Yesterday, I didn’t manage to do much of anything. Somehow I filled that day, though.

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Mother Jones – We Uncovered How Many Georgians Were Disenfranchised by GOP Voting Restrictions. It’s Staggering.
Quote – During municipal elections in November, Georgia voters were 45 times more likely to have their mail ballot applications rejected—and ultimately not vote as a result—than in 2020. If that same rejection rate were extrapolated to the 2020 race, more than 38,000 votes would not have been cast in a presidential contest decided by just over 11,000 votes.
Click through for story.I realize this is not news to Freya ot Spy … or maybe anyone anywhere who has been paying attention.

Huff Post – Pittsburgh Bridge Collapses Hours Before Biden Is Set To Talk Infrastructure There
Quote – No one was killed, authorities said, but several people were injured and three were transported to the hospital with injuries that didn’t appear life-threatening. The cause of the collapse was not immediately clear…. “What I didn’t realize, there are literally more bridges in Pittsburgh than any other city in the world,” Biden said, adding, “More than Venice. We’re going to fix them all,” he said.
Clickthrough for details. Wonkette also covered this story in its inimitable snary way, and I alsmost used it, but then I thought if a troll came by they might think the headline was serious, so I stuck with HuffPost.

Department of “You can’t make this stuff up”
QAnon Virginia Candidate Brawls At Texas Butterfly Center And This Headline Is Wildly Insufficient
Quote – Nonetheless, we’ll admit to being a bit surprised when we saw that the National Butterfly Center, a private nature preserve along the Rio Grande, announced it would be closing this weekend due to “credible threats” against the center and its staff. You see, what with it being on the river that forms the US-Mexico border, the Butterfly Center has been previously targeted by the crazies who wanted to build a private WALL, because darned if the nature preserve wanted the butterfly habitat disturbed. That prompted Brian Kolfage, the now-indicted head of We Build The Wall, to accuse the Butterfly Center and a nearby historic church of “promoting trafficking of children,” and specifically accusing the preserve of running a “rampant sex trade.”
Click through. Only in [Trump**’s] America

Food For Thought:

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