Open Thread – Page 297 – Politics Plus

Open Thread for October 18, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 182021

Yesterday, I was pretty well exhausted. I had hoped to sleep in, but woke up about an hour and a half before my guideline alarm (which I would cheerfully have slept through) with just enough tickle in my throat to keep me awake. Nothing serious, just a small allergic reaction, most likely to a piece of red or yellow pepper. It vanished quickly once I was vertical. But I may well be sleeping in today. Expect me when you see me.

Cartoon – (from 2013 – nothing’s changed)

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Fox Commenters’ Response To Bill Clinton News Is What You’d Expect
Quote – CNN reports that the former president, who is 75, has a urinary tract infection that spread to his bloodstream, a fairly common medical condition in the elderly. It’s a relatively minor medical problem, so why is the story so prominent at Fox? Because it’s an excellent opportunity for Fox fans to demonstrate the kind of high-minded civic engagement they’re known for. From the comments:
Click through if you can stand to. The comments are pretty disgusting. Big Dog also experienced sepsis, which I would not call minor, but IANAD, and thankfully they were right on that, and he is out of the hospotal now according to various sources.

Vox – The case against means testing
Quote – Means testing have also long been associated with a moral argument that some segments of the population are deserving of government benefits, while others are not. This idea undercuts the belief that a social safety net is intended to help support those broadly in need, and shifts the burden onto individuals to prove that they’re worthy of getting basic help.
Click through for evidence. Means testing sounds so reasonable – until you realize that $100 for groceries if you live alone doesn’t exactly go as far as $100 for groceries if you hve three kids. Furthermore. $100 fpr groceries if your body is perfectly normal doesn’t quite go as far as $100 for groceries if you have food allergies, or any other specialized dietary needs. And actually, the same is true for shopping in just about every category of consumables.

The Hill – Arbery murder trial set to begin this week
Quote – When Arbery, who was unarmed, was cornered by the two trucks he ran at Travis McMichael in an attempt to seize his shotgun, but was then fatally shot. In April, both the McMichaels and Bryan were charged with federal hate crimes in connection to Arbery’s death. The indictment accuses the men of using force and threatening to intimidate and interfere with Arbery’s right to utilize a public street, and alleges that Bryan joined the chase and used his truck during the incident.
Click through for story. I’m surely glad it has come to a trial. I wish I could have higher hopes for its results. They are certainly taking their time over jury selection – I hope that’s a good sign.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 10/17/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:18 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 172021

Glenn Kirschner – Prosecution of Bannon for Contempt of Congress WILL Impact How Meadows, Patel & Others Will Behave

The Lincoln Project – Peaceful Pledge

MSNBC – White House To Moderna: Make More Covid Vaccine!

Robert Reich – Fire Postmaster DeJoy. I’m not sure how it would help to name his nominees nw – but then, RR knows more about how government works than I do – so maybe some good would coe of it.

SphinxConnect 2017 – “The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed” HANKY ALERT “Sphinx” is an organization which assists young musicians of color (including bron, “red”, and “yellow” as well as black) to enhance their musical talents and abilities through many programs. I have mixed feelines about all those white faces in the video. But if Sphinx posted it, I guess I can. The CC is the lyrics by section and doesn’t contain all the repeats, but it gets the point across.

And to restore a little hope after that – Woman Turns Backyard Shed Into An Apartment For Stray Cats

Beau – Let’s talk about Chicago cops….

Open Thread for October 17, 2021

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

Oct 172021

Yesterday, Virgil and I had a good visit, and I got home (and changed and the mail in) but about 6:30 He returns all greetings. It was a better than avergae visit (tey’re all good).I don’t want to break his confidentiality,but he has been having very vivid nightmares lately – so vivid he calls me he tells me what happened in the dream as something that really happened, when it’s impossible. Yesterday was the first time we ever talked about one during a visit, and was able to associate the scariness of the dreams to an actual time period in his life (before we met) which was both sad and scary for real. I hope this knowledge opens up his ability to deal with it better.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Vice News – Capitol Police Officer Arrested for Aiding January 6 Rioter
Quote – Officer Michael A. Riley, an officer with more than two decades on the force, was charged with obstruction of justice for Facebook messaging an alleged rioter and warning them to delete posts that said they’d been in the Capitol. Riley is the first Capitol officer who’s been arrested for charges stemming from the January 6 riots, according to the U.S. Capitol Police. According to the indictment, Riley friended a man on Facebook who’d posted selfies and other evidence that he was in the Capitol during the riots and warned him to take the posts down so as to avoid possible charges. He identified himself as a Capitol officer “who agrees with your political stance,” and told him to “take down the part about being in the building.”
Click through fpr details. I have no words. Well, maybe one – “Goodbye.”

Politico – Law enforcement’s use of force against Jan. 6 conspiracy suspects draws heat — and credit
Quote – FBI agents had just found a cache of firearms during a search at the Nashville home of Eric Munchel — the body-armor-clad Capitol rioter famously photographed carrying zip ties in the Senate chamber on Jan. 6 — when the bureau issued a consequential warning. The FBI warned that police departments seeking to detain Jan. 6 suspects should “exercise caution and consider use of SWAT when affecting the arrest of individuals who displayed body armor or other armament during criminal activity conducted at the US Capitol.”
Click through for story. I was to see a swat team arrest Mo Brooks.

The Hill via MSN et al. – Sen. Whitehouse blasts Alito speech: ‘You have fouled your nest, not us’
Quote – During his speech, Alito took particular exception to what he characterized as media distortions that feed into a false portrayal of the court as a “dangerous cabal.” But Whitehouse said the court’s deteriorating standing among the public has been largely self-inflicted. He ticked off a number of court rulings that he said demonstrates a pattern in which the court’s decisionmaking fits neatly with the interests of well-heeled Republican donors.
Click through for more back-and-forth, and also more sources. I would have one tiny grammatical quibble … but if Sen. Whitehouse wants to say “us” when “we” is correct, he has my permission. With him, it’s the substance which counts. And no one could possibly misunderstand his meaning in context.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 10/16/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:20 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 162021

Glenn Kirschner – Steve Bannon Headed for Prosecution for Criminal Contempt. Here’s What Congress Should Tackle Next.

Meidas Touch – Ivermectin-pushing doctor cited by far right EXPOSED as a fraud

The Lincoln Project – Dragon of Budapest

MSNBC – Rep. Raskin: ‘Steve Bannon Committed A Crime Today’

Ring of Fire – Lauren Boebert Ripped To Shreds Over Misspelled ‘Imeach Biden’ Effort

Police Scotland – “Don’t be That Guy”

Most guys don’t look in the mirror & see a problem. But it’s staring us in the face. Sexual violence begins long before you think it does. #DontBeThatGuy pic.twitter.com/78B05S5lRk

— Don’t be That Guy (@ThatGuyScotland) October 13, 2021

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s message to the GOP….

Open Thread for October 16, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:15 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 162021

Yesterday, I put everything in place to quickly get out the door this morning. Of course that isn’t all I did … but it’s what mattered. When this posts, I will be on the road. ALSO, in case anyone did not receive the email from Malala Yousafzai, here is the petition she is asking as many as pissible to sign.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

AP News – Social Security checks getting big boost as inflation rises
Quote – The COLA, as it’s commonly called, amounts to an added $92 a month for the average retired worker, according to estimates Wednesday from the Social Security Administration. It’s an abrupt break from a long lull in inflation that saw cost-of-living adjustments averaging just 1.65% a year over the past 10 years. With the increase, the estimated average Social Security payment for a retired worker will be $1,657 a month next year. A typical couple’s benefits would rise by $154 to $2,753 per month. But that’s just to help make up for rising costs that recipients are already paying for food, gasoline and other goods and services.
Click through for full story and human examples. Just on a ball park quote, I’m about at the average, maybe a trifle more. But I am comfortable because my needs are comparatively few. The truly average person needs more.

The Conversation – More ‘disease’ than ‘Dracula’ – how the vampire myth was born
Quote – The first known reference to vampires appeared in written form in Old Russian in A.D. 1047, soon after Orthodox Christianity moved into Eastern Europe. The term for vampire was “upir,” which has uncertain origins, but its possible literal meaning was “the thing at the feast or sacrifice,” referring to a potentially dangerous spiritual entity that people believed could appear at rituals for the dead…. The vampire served a function similar to that of many other demonic creatures in folklore around the world: They were blamed for a variety of problems, but particularly disease, at a time when knowledge of bacteria and viruses did not exist.
Click through for history. Yes, this is a fluff piece (HAppy Hallowe’en.) But interesting. Knowing how things get started is seldom wasted.

Mother Jones – Who Keeps Us Safe?
Quote – What happens next—a series of events involving a filming bystander, a burgeoning anti-police organization, court-ordered police reform, and Jones’ own mother—has everything to do with the questions many started asking after the murder of George Floyd. Are police the best way to keep us safe? Can they be reformed? Are they necessary—or even equipped—to respond to the mental and behavioral health issues that underpin many emergencies? And if not police, who? Jones’ experience might just point toward some answers.
Click through for details. These two incidents had some differences, but were very similar in key points. Both happened in the same city. The issues of policing may not be in the foreground at the moment, but IMO should not be forgotten.

Food for Thought –

Video Thread 10/15/2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:06 pm Open Thread, Politics

Oct 152021

Glenn Kirschner – Bannon to Appear Before Congress on 10/14. When he doesn’t show, Congress Should Use Contempt x 2

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party

MSNBC – Original Victims Of Havana Syndrome Reveal Identifies, Describe ‘Painful Symptoms’

Really American – I wanted to put this up yesterday, but it was age restricted. I hope that hasn’t happened again.

Liberal Redneck – Making Fun of Madison Cawthorn (Excerpt)

Lonely Baby Rhino Starts Wrestling With A Goat

Beau – Let’s talk about the new Superman and the supermad….

Open Thread for October 15, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:41 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 152021

Yesterday, it was pretty quiet. I worked some on a new project which will be largely acrylic and long sleeved but still kind of light weight. I started with the yoke, wondering what it would look like if I made a boat neck with a technique which is usually reserved for buttonholes. It actually looks very good. And O now realize I can use the trick that makes it work to make other kinds of neckline look better too. So, a win-win.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Vanity Fair – KATIE PORTER HAS THE FLOOR
Quote – Over burgers, [Ann] O’Leary [formerly the head of Berkeley Law School’s Center on Health, Economic & Family Security] and Porter observed that part of being a congressperson is the committee structure, where members can use the bully pulpit. When you get your time in a hearing, that time is yours. O’Leary says she saw “a switch [go] off” in Porter. “There are always instructions from leadership,” Porter says. “ ‘This is how you vote, this is what our priority is, this is how you should message, this is how much money you need to raise’—and the questions in hearings, you can show up and do what you want. It’s like looking around and saying, where is it that nobody is trying to control me?”
Click through for story. Is there anyone here who doesn’t love Katie Porter? What looked like a blank paywall popped up for me, but I was easily able to read the full article by scrolling. And I also “printed” it, just in case.

The Daily Beast – Capitol Rioter Decides to Represent Himself in Court, Accidentally Admits to Two New Felonies
Quote – Assistant U.S. Attorney Mona Furst reportedly got Fellows to admit that he gained access to the Capitol through a broken window, and that he tried to get a previous judge removed from the case using the judge’s wife’s contact information. At the end of the hearing, McFadden ordered Fellows back into custody and told him: “You’ve admitted to incredible lapses of judgment here on the stand, not least of which was seeking to disqualify a New York state judge.”
Click through for brief story, and through again from there for more details. Keep it up, seditoinists.

The News Tribune via MSN – Arson investigation underway at Islamic Center of Tacoma after fire damages building
Quote – The fire started at the Islamic Center of Tacoma just before an evening prayer was scheduled to begin. Two people were inside but they were able to evacuate, and no one was injured. An arson investigation was started by the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department. Deputy Jeffrey Papen said witnesses reported seeing someone who may have started the fire fleeing the scene.
Click through for what is known. This makes me both sad and furious.

Food for Thought – Share widely. People who want these things don’t always know that they are in the bill.