Open Thread July 8 2025

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 082025
 

Yesterday, I got up late, having had a somewhat difficult night, but somehow I got everything done that I needed tp do and a tad extra.  Of course I would have liked to do more and have a little cushion, but at least I’m no farther behind than I was.

Wonkette covers most of the reasons why the Times story is BS. Mamdani was a teenager at the time, There was probably no box on the application that fit him, so he checked the closest. Then, to clarify it, he wrote “Ugandan” on the application. Incidentally, he was not accepted, so he gained nothing from anything on that application. Never forget that the New York Times is no longer “The paper of record.” There is no longer an American “paper of record.” The closest think I can think of is The Guardian, and it can only retain accuracy because it is not American.

In “The Week Ahead,” Joyce Vance includes addressing Social Security and the extremely misleading letter sent by the Social Security Administration regarding taxation on Social Security income. It’s all twitter-pated about ending taxation on Social Security income. Let me provide a little insight here from a Social Security recipient. My monthly check is not large, but it’s enough for me to live on if I am careful (and by “live on,” I mean to pay my mortgage and utilities, including trash and recycling pickup, electricity and gas, water and sewer, landline phone and internet.) For the last ten years or more I have been using a company in the IRS’s FreeFile program (not the same as direct file, which appears to be going away before it even gets started, but similar – Federal is free, but they can charge to file in your state.)I receive the data on my Social Security earnings on a 1098 form, and I put it in, and the program puts it on my return but does not count it as taxable income. I have never paid a penny in taxes on Social Security. I grant that I might not be able to live on it if I didn’t have an HRA – but I do. Still, anyone getting federal tax relief on Social Security from this bill must be getting payments in between what I get and what billionaires get.

After several years of not getting newsletters from Daily Kos, despite regularly checking that I have been signed up for them, I am now receiving them again, and this one included a story on something which has been bothering me – Abrego Garcia, his wife, and their legal issues have been getting substantial coverage – and they should be – but what about all the other innocent people?

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Open Thread July 7 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 072025
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by. Unless she’s out of town, she comes by on the Sunsays when I don’t visit Virgil and helps me with anything I need that is too strenuous for me. And we chat. It’s both stimulating and relaxing for me and she also enjoys it. She inspired me to put a sign up on the storm door saying “Coution: Retired person inside. Knows everything and has plenty of time to talk about it.” Yeah, someyimes it’s like that. But the keeps coming and keeps staying to hear stuff, so it can’t be all that painful.

This is a simple joke but also an allegory for something far more complex. And I recommend reading the comments too – they have some potential refinements, most of which would make an even more accurate allegory. Sigh.

The May Day Movement, which has organized prior nationwide protests, has two more events being set up. The first is for July 17 – I have mentioned it, but I don’t think I knew till now it’s being called a “Good Trouble Event” and will focus on John Lewis’s memory. The second is for September 1; it’s still in the planning stages but they are already looking for signups for it also. Yes, the two sites linked have different names, but working together is so much a part of this resistance movement, I believe all are connected.

Steve Schmidt notes that there are still decent people here, and, maybe even more necessary, people elsewhere who are aware of us.

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Open Thread July 6 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 062025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was an “opera-ballet” from the 18th century by Jean Philippe Rameau called “Les Fêtes d’Hébé.” The series has a more dignified translation, but I just call it “Hebe’s Parties.” Hebe, the goddess of youth, finds the gods “insincere” (which I assume is code for “too old” – sounds like the DNC) and comes to earth to seek more fun among humans. The three acts are unrelated episodes, though each symbolizes a different “lyric art”, and comprises both singing and dancing. Rameau had quite the sense of humor and was also apparently not afraid of anyone – one of his operas which Virgil and I saw in Santa Fe (yeah, it’s been a minute) is called “Platée” and features a female swamp creature who thinks she is a femme fatale, so when Jupiter, looking to set up an elaborate joke to take Juno’s mind off of his infidelities, proposes to her, she is sucked in, and the joke works – Juno, who comes to the “wedding” to catch him, sees the “bride” and cracks up laughing. The reason I share this as an example of Rameau’s fearlessness is that he wrote it for a royal wedding, in which the actual bride, though highly aristocratic, was known for her lack of good looks. And he got away with it. Today’s feature is not daring, it’s just for fun, and was staged by the Opera Comique because the conductor, a Baroque specialist, wanted to conduct it to celebrate his 80th birthday. (Conductors do tend to live long and prosper – one theory as to why is that the upper body exercise, although not terribly strenuous, is sufficient to strengthen the heart. Of course it doesn’t work for everyone. But it does for many.) Anyway, the music was lovely. There is a 59-second clip on YouTube which shows snippets of a variety of scenes while playing just the main theme which shows up in the prologue and every act.

This story is unsourced other than the DU member who posted it – but it is good news and I think we can all agree with the point made at the end.

This is exciting to me. I suspect it may not replace implants, because hearing loss at older ages may not be genetic (I’m pretty sure it wasn’t genetic in my mother abd grandmother, because I don’t have it, and for bothe of them the onset was at 10 years minimum younger than I am.) But for eople as young as those in this story it could well be genetic, and I would expect gene therapy to be a lot less invasive than implants.

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Open Thread July 5 2025

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 052025
 

Yesterday, Virgil called and as always, asked how I was doing. I told him I really didn’t want to talk about it, so we didn’t. I’ll see him a week from tomorrow and if I’m up to it I’ll talk with him about it then. There were some explosions in the neighborhood , and it was, after all, the fourth, but it was nothing like previous years. And it may even stop after today, which is also nothing like previous years.

Well, here we are. Steve Schmidt discusses “Alligator Alcatraz” and compares it, not with Alcatraz, but with Auschwitz. H wonders out loud about the process of getting building permits. I would dudprvt there was no such process in Florida. Not that Florida law doesn’t cover it – it almost certainly does, though we have learned through multiple hurricanes that the specs are pretty lenient. But as the brainchild of the governor, I would expect it to have been bypassed.

Y’all know, because of Glenn Kirschner’s video, that Abrego Garcia’s attorneys requested he be kept in federal custody so that ICE could not kidnap him again. That’s one court case involving him. Another is a suit his wife has filed against ICE, and her attorneys have released a filing detailing what he endured while in CECOT. Yes, it’s ugly. And that’s why you should read it and spread it to others who have a milligram of empathy. No need to share it with anyone who will be aroused by it.

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Open Thread July 4 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 042025
 

Yesterday, as you all know, the House passed the Big Brutal Bill in the Senate version, despite the fact that Hakeem Jeffries kind of brought the filibuster over from the Senate in opposition. I believe there’s some intention of taking it to the courts but that doesn’t give me a lot of hope. Earlier tis week, John Pavlovitz already wrote that the Fourth of July this year is not a day for celebration but one of sitting vigil for the dead. I had already picked out my featured image, which is not current – it is from 2021. But though those people have been disgustingly pardoned, the sentiments hold, at least for me. And the traitors are still around. It’s not strong enough, but I doubt I could find a stronger one, and I’m not exactly feeling creative. I might point out that, with heir glair for deception, the bill is written so that any of the cuts do not take effect immediately – so the bill is also a time bomb. For a while they will be telling us “See? it isn’t so bad,” and that will be a lie. Today, do your best to summon up some joy and hope. You – and I – will need it.

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-democracy-index-76b
The Democracy Index is a feature of The Contrarian. There is a team pf highly qualified people who work on it, one of whom is Joyce Vance. TBH, reading or even skimming all the sources I subscribe to doesn’t leave me much time – or energy – to follow the Index. But this one is specifically for the Fourth of July, and today being the fourth, I decided to share it. I note that there is a comment on reading the chart, so I’ll remind everyone that the metaphor here is taking the temperature. Two of the thermometers are at at least 106°F, and one looks to be at maybe 101°F. You may disagree either with the chart or with my guesstimate (I personally think National Security is hotter than that), but it looks to be generally accurate in proportion.

This from Chris Bowers is about what the New York City primary results imply for the Democratic party, particularly in tandem with the recent successes of Bernie and AOC with their touring town halls. I really hope that enough Democrats are paying attention with open minds, because, if too many are not, we may see panicking which will hurt us all.

Yes, this is from the Senate’s vote on their version of the Big Brutal Bill. But I wouldn’t call it old.

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Open Thread July 3 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 032025
 

Yesterday, I spent about 17 minutes watching a video on Pete Buttigieg’s Substack – an interview with the mother of twin girls, one of whose lives depends on Medicaid. This shows why Pete is the best communicator in the Democratic Party – and one of the best in history. Tissue alert. 

Here are two articles from the 19th. One is a detailed story of one person who is a victim of ICE. But even in the context of this incident an entire community is affected. And the regime is taking this to such lengths that anyone could be affected. But the other article is about trends which absolutely will affect everyone over time – everyone who is still above ground.

Joyce Vance on the Supreme Court. I see I am not the only one who turns to Greek mythology to interpret present day events. That – and animals and knittng – I guess are reasons I feel somehow connected to Joyce.

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Open Thread July 2 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 022025
 

On Monday, I finally remembered to re-add images like Lona’s hedgehog and Freya’s angry cat to the media library late enough in the day that the should be the last thing added in June, to make them more convenient to find. Speaking of Freya, has anyone heard from her? It’s been a very long time, not just since she posted here, but since I (and also Evelyn, who is also concerned) got a newsletter from her. If you know anything, please put it into a comment or email me. Then yesterday, I got the news that Jimmy Swaggart has died. I won’t speak ill of the dead, and I assume everyone knows what that is code for.

There have been lively debates in comment sections about this case – which is now over – the baby, a boy named “Chance” was removed by C-section (and while the case it over for the courts, it’s not over for him, poor thing.) But this from The Conversation is about as complete an analysis of the ethics of the case as you are likely to find.

This is from The Brennan Center for Justice on the topic of the Supreme Court. I know in the past some have had issues getting to that site, so here is an archive link in case anyone needs it.

Here is an extra video which left me literally speechless:

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Open Thread July 1 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 012025
 

Yesterday, I went through a little more than two days of emails – I had not had the energy to tackle Sunday’s on Sunday. But Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” from Sunday really shouldn’t be missed, both for the analysis and for the hope. Harry Litman addressed the same case – not the verdict itself but apparently even lawyers can’t agree on how awful it is.) Also yesterday – remember the Pearl Street bombing in Boulder, CO on June 1? Well, one more victim has died, as reported by Colorado Public Radio. She was 82 years old. Finally, USA Today has a pretty detailed account of the shooting in Idaho. I won’t claim is the best – I didn’t check everywhere – but it’s pretty solid. No paywall.
https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-ahead-

This is a few days old – but I think still interesting to anyone who is still wondering just how effed up the knuckle-draggers working in the current regime can get. I would put this somewhere in the territory of FUBB and FUBAR.

John Pavlovitz was inspired (as was I) by Joe Biden’s presence and demeanor at the funeral of the Hortmans (Melissa, Mark, and Gilbert). This is what he had to say about it – and I can agree with just about every word. I did know what we had, and you may recall, was so crushed when he dropped out of the race that I had to take a week off to collect myself. I wish I had a way to forward this to President Joe. He deserves to know how much he is loved and missed.

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