Open Thread April 18 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 182026
 

Interesting opera scheduled for today – called “Innocence,” by a Finnish woman composer, conducted by a Finnish woman conductor, libretto in six or seven languages. Set at a wedding reception. The waitress there is a woman who lost a child in a school shooting. The groom turns out to be the brother of the shooter. No spoiler from me – I have not looked up where it goes from there. But it certainly sounds like something which would be powerful. Tomorrow I visit Virgil.

Robert Reich dismisses the 25th Amendment for one of the same reasons I do – getting the approval of the majority of this cabinet is just a fever dream. But now, I think we are both wrong on this point. The 25th Amendment strategy which the Democrats are now considering (which still needs to wait until we have majorities) is to appoint an independent commission – an alternative authorized by the 25th Amendment in lieu of the Cabinet. Kudos to those who wrote the Amendment.

Archived from The Military Times, which does not appear to have a paywall, but does want you to turn off your ad blocker. Referred by VoteVets, which now has a Substack (probably has for some time, but I only recently found it.) I have not seen this bit of information anywhere else, and it is an excellent illustration of why the DoD should be run by people who know what they are doing. not by people who can just do pushups and pullups.

This by Harry Litman could well be the headline any time a Republican is replaced with another Republican. Which is one reason why I am so lukewarm on impeaching or 25thing the Orange Ogre. I will say, if we had done it during his first term, it might have worked better than now. Then, there were a few adults in the Cabinet, even though they were Republicans. Now, there are none.

A bonus, because it’s good, for a change.  From Democracy Docket, referred by The Smile. A bit of political good news, though I must say it took long enough.

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Open Thread April 17 2026

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 172026
 

Yesterday, I was fairly well rested, and even managed to get to bed early (for me.)  Malcolm Nance mentioned more or less in passing. that Australia has been hurting for oil and  that now one of their only two oil refineries there has blown up. If that interferes with internet there, it may be a while before we hear from Lona. He also mentioned (it was breaking news to him – and he was shocked) that Justin Fairfax, former LtGov of Virginia apparently shot his wife and himself, but apparently not their teen children. I expect The Root will have more information.

No telling whether the archive is needed – we all get at least one free story a month, but I have no way of knowing whether any of you have used yours. So, archived to be safe and save time. This is sad – but I can’t call it unexpected, alas.

[analysis Magyar election] I was a bit taken aback by the new Prime Minister’s name which I now know I have been pronouncing wrong all my life.) I thought about it off and on trying to think of similar names. First I came up with xomposer and conductor Edward German (he wasn’t.) Eventually I also remembered a General while I was in the Marines – Lowell English (he was American, but I suppose at least some of his ancestors were English.)
(Also, her letter dated April 15 reviews Lincoln’s assassination on April 14 – and how Andrew Johnson undermined reconstruction almost before it started.

Another analysis piece, this one from ProPublica. Of course, investigation was needed in order to publish it with receipts. But couldn’t you have predicted it? I would think any sane person could have. The more people you arrest at random, the less likely any of them is to be a criminal.

Brian Tyler Cohen is not a favorite of mine, partly because his videos are so long. But this one is the only place I have seen anything about this stunt – and as far as I’m concerned you can shut it off when he finishes with that part. (even in full, it’s only 8½ minutes – which is very short for him)

Dog

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Open Thread April 16 2026

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 162026
 

Yesterday, Malcolm Nance apologized for failing to do a scheduled Substack video – because he had had to do interviews on three BBC entities and on ABC (down under.) Apparently I am far from alone in respecting his experience and analysis (and also his choices of co-hosts – Jacob has been missing for three says because he was doing interviews, not just in Denmark, but all over Europe.) Fertilizer was in the spotlight. I am no chemist, but a huge component of fertilizer is urea which is a major (or the major) source of nitrogen for fertilizer. Aren’t we all running around every day full of urea, and flushing most of it? Is it time for someone who is a chemist to come up with some way to capture that and refine it? Or am I dreaming?

Harmeet Dillon’s name has not yet, as far as I know, come up from the White House as a potential AG. But if Robert Reich thinks it is a possibility, I’m confident it is a possibility

Jesse Wegman is part of the Brennan Center for Justice. He has some thoughts about the courts here, and at least one of those thoughts is colorful.

We may as well look at this. The devil, as they say, is in the details.

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Open Thread April 15 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 152026
 

Monday was the fourth anniversary of “Russian warship, go fuck yourself.” (Malcolm was there, in Ukraine.) And “go fuck yourself” was not a completely accurate translation from Ukrainian. (“Go find a dick” is closer.) Hopefully remembering that can inspire us. Maybe not as much as it inspired Ukraine at the time, but there is a whole lot of room beneath that extremely high level. Also, Eric Swalwell announced he will resign from Congress but provided no effective date.

Here is incontrovertible evidence that some Muslims are better Christians than some Christians – translated from Farsi (not by me): “Your Excellency Pope Leo XIV (@Pontifex), on behalf of the great nation of Iran, I condemn the insult to Your Excellency and declare that the desecration of Jesus (peace be upon him), the Prophet of peace and brotherhood, is unacceptable to any free person. I wish glory for you from Allah.” – Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (quoted by Daily Kos)

What the Brennan Center for Justice is doing now to protect the midterms in November, by Michael Waldman.

If you are looking for an exact moment when we lost the Iran war, the closest you can probably come is the moment we started it. MajGen Paul Eaton (Ret), the leader of VoteVets analyses pretty much everything we have done wrong, which is pretty much everything we have done. Unless, of course, you are an insider trader, in which case you can laugh all the way to your Trumpcoin.

Murdoch beats Trump’s suit on WSJ’s Epstein exposé: What’s next?

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Open Thread April 13 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 132026
 

Yesterday – was interesting. In the sense that “May you live in interesting times” is a curse. Eric Swalwell was accused of sexual misconduct, and has dropped out of the race for Governor, though maintaining his innocence. A quote: “I will fight the serious, false allegations that have been made–but that’s my fight, not a campaign’s.” The Iran negotiations crashed, and the UnPresident announced a naval blockade of the Strait of Hormuz (I realize that is so absurd that anyone who knows anything about it would crack up laughing, but unfortunately it’s still “interesting.” Guess we’re going to experiment with piracy now. But it’s still “interesting.”) Trinette was by to save my sanity. I hope y’all have something at hand to save yours.

Let me tell you a story about charismatic Christianity (which is not a denomination, but exists across many denominations. While stationed in Okinawa, I started attending a charismatic Catholic prayer group. The people there were clearly doing their best to live as Jesus had taught, and I was comfortable. There was a church-approved pamphlet called “Life in the Spirit” which was used for instruction, and without going into detail, it was sound. When I left the USMC and moved to Alamosa, the Catholic church there had a charismatic prayer group also, which I also attended. It also used the “Life in the Spirit” literature. Until one day, the group leader received a bunch of new booklets intended to replace “Life in the Spirit.” The English ones were entitled “You will receive power” (the Spanish ones were titled “Recibirán Poder.” I was 30 at the time, which is not terribly old, but I was a grown-ass adult.” I immediately saw that this new emphasis – biblical though it was – would be the beginning of the end. Because it would attract people who want power (and put off those who don’t.) People who want power are the last people in the world who should have it. I left the group. The “charismatic Christian” in this article sounds like a case in point. People who want power do so because they believe that, with it, they can do anything they want – with no negative consequences. Reality simply doesn’t work that way.

Archived from The New Yorker. Just in case you thought there was nothing worse than MAGA.

At least this from Robert Reich is good. If you can stand another story – my dead friend Fred, who was an announcer at my favorite radio station and who died not that long ago (and the station played recorded tributes to him from co-workers, former co-workers, listeners for what seemed like a month, and who was an atheist and the kindest, most generous person I have ever met) was Hungarian-Italian-American – he would have been so happy about this.

From Andy Borowitz: “Ghost of Pope Francis to Viktor Orbán: ‘I Warned You Not to Let Vance Near You!'”

OK, I was wrong. The previous episode wasn’t the last one.

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Open Thread April 12 2026

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 122026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Mozart’s Don Giovanni, as I said it would be. Don Giovanni is not the nicest person in opera (how’s that for understatement?) but he has some truly gorgeous music to sing, and Speedo handled it like silk. Made my day. Also, 81 years ago today, Franklin Delano Roosevelt died. May he rest in peace (unless he wants to come back and strangle the current office holder.) Now – as the original Pollyanna would do – here are some (actual) good news stories to help you get through all the (also actual) crap.

This from The Root doesn’t start so well – but turns around pretty sharply. I was touched.

This from CBS Pittsburgh is a new way to raise money for a good cause. The cause is for children, the idea and organization are from a child the products are all made by children. Apparently the kids are all right.

A very short video from ABC News (the American one), including some information of which I, for one, was not aware.

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Open Thread April 11 2026

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 112026
 

Yesterday, I was looking forward to today because the radio opers for today is by Mozart – Don Giovanni – and the title role will be plqyed and sung by Ryan Speedo Green. It won’t be the first time I have heard him in a leading role – he played the title role in Terence Blanchard’s opera “Champion ” (split with Eric Owens – Speedo was the young Emil and Owens the old and demented Emil, still coping with guilt.) But it will be the first time I have heard him in a leading role by Mozart, which may be scarier, because there have been so many fantastic singers who have assumed this role over 200 years that many will be comparing him to someone else (different someone else depending on the listener.) Speedo is the young man who didn’t even know opera existed until he was in juvenile correction as a teen and someone took several inmates to the opera and he was hooked. (I’m pretty sure there was a black lead in the production, because if there hadn’t, he likely would have figured it was not for him and his life would not have been turned around as it was – but I don’t remember who. It might have been Denyce Graves, but there are so many others also.) It’s a story that never fails to inspire me.

No comment. (Because I am speechless.)

History can be scarier than just about anything, particularly when it appears to be rhyming again. By now I expect everyone knows how upset I get by undeserved reputations attached to historical figures (and even fictional ones.) Why does it matter? Because truth always matters. Here’s Steve Schmidt having a case of “Truth matters.” (Heather Cox Richardson tells the same story in her April 8 letter, but doesn’t go in to the reputational inconsistencies as Schmidt does.)

Two articles – same subject – the Presidential Records Act. Take your choice of Joyce Vance or Harry Litman – or read both. IMO, it should be possible tp prosecute a president who destroys a document immediately, while he is still in office. Here’s my thinking: this is analogous to using a drug to rape someone. The victim does not even know she’s been screwed until it’s too late. In the case of a destroyed document, the victim – the nation – may not ever find out we;ve been screwed, but even if we do, it’s way too late.

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Open Thread April 10 2026

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 102026
 

Yesterday, per “Black Man Spy,” Kegsbreath said something on the order of “Our warriors are preparing for our next conquest.” “Conquest” is a word which has a range of meanings. but in its original basic meaning, it is a war crime. If you go into enemy occupied territory in a war they started, and you take the territory, such as occupied France in WWII, that is not conquest – it is defense. But if you go into someone else’s territory with the intention of taking it order – that is conquest. That is what, for example, Hitler did to Poland in 1939. It’s what Cortes did to the Aztec empire. That is what white Americans did to Indian territories. That is what Britain did to India. All just examples – since throughout history, way too many nations did it to too many other nations and thought it was a good and honorable idea. Put that on the ground and it will make the flowers grow. The warcast also went into how new alliances are being formed leaving us out – which is (though they didn’t use these words) going to make us a pariah state allied with no one. Except maybe Israel. Which, under Bibi, is already a pariah. Speaking of Bibi, who is at least as crazy and evil as our un-president – and even more “Nobody can tell him anything that will change his mind” than ours. If you want a cease-fire including Israel, you need to discuss it with Bibi personally. Accept no one else’s word for it.

Democrats aren’t always bizarre. But when we are – we are within out constitutional rights, and we don’t maul or abuse anyone. The Intercept has the story.

What a mess. Decisions like these are difficult enough when everyone is on the same page. With misinformation flying around like a plague of cicadas, decisions re xlose to impossible.

And this article may be worse than the last one. At least vaccines, and the diseases they protect against, are tangible. Gender orientations are not, although they are very real. You can’t prove that a person is gay like you can prove that a chiled has measles. There are no blood tests for it. Nor for transgender – genitalia may be tangible, but they may also lie. Depression and suicidal feelings ae also intangible – unless they are acted on – and then it is too late. My state was doing the right thing. SCROTUS is not.

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