Personal – Page 114 – Politics Plus

Open Thread September 25, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:55 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 252023

Yesterday, I got to see Virgil. He was in good spirits, and returns all greetings. I could not find the cards, so we payed Scrabble. I also got to meet a new resident in his area, a very handsome one, named JJ – I think either a black lab or a black lab mix – and very polite although not fully trained yet (I don’t know for what.) Anials in prisons truly warm my heart. That is just so good for everyone concerned – staff, inmates, even visitors, and of course the animals themselves. We got to talking about animals, and I menitioned I had been thinking lately an wondering which cats in my life would be there to meet me, as opposed to having already crossed the bridge with someone else. Baba, for instance – the very first sat in my life, so early I don’t een rememebr her and just know what I am told (that she was virtually my nanny. Virgil said, “No wonder you’re a cat person – you were raised by a cat.” She will have crossed the bridge with my mother, and my father will have been delighted to see her. Other cats who will have crossed the bridge with Mom include Tina (the first cat I remember), Sombra (adopted by Mom after I joined the Marines) and a few more, but I don’t know for sure which. Now I am sure that Archie will be there to meet me, and I hope also Sherlock, Moonshadow,and DJ, but there may be more. I’ll try for the roll call, but I may leave some out – Sugar Bear, Raffles, Bunny, Princess Fukutsu, Mr. Rochester, Cyclone, Debby, Cimarron, Cobrisa, Irene, Boss, Marcy, Nero, Raffles II, Cindy, and Jane. pluas the aforementioned Archie, Sherlock, Moonshadow and DJ. But we never had more than 12 at any one time. Jane we had already when I met Virgil, but from the moment the two of them met, she was HIS CAT. Period. Virgil and I had DJ in the Springs for a while, but after he passed away (his bilirubin was off the charts) we adopted a cat whose human had died, named Grey Mouser (the cat, not the person – and I’m sure the person’s family would have been astonished to learn that name is from the Sword and Sorcery genre) Mouse for short, and she took over Virgil completely. Even half-heartedly tried to kill me a few times. And that doesn’t include any animals Virgil had as a kid – including a cat named Squirrely and a dog named Zot – and others. All were distinct personalites, and some were real characters.

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Short Takes –

Democratic Underground (LuckyCharms) – Health Care Terms
There’s no way I can get a quote from this – it is simply a list of all the terms Americans need to know to navigate out health care system. It is (therefore) also a list of terms which no one anywhere else in the world needs to know.You don’t have to completely read through the list – its sheer length will get the point across – but of course you certainly can.
Click through for the full list. I’ll just throw this in –

Politico – Senators seek to stop shutdowns forever, after McCarthy’s spending stumbles
Quote – Senators and House members began circulating a letter on Friday pushing legislation that would automatically fund the government past spending deadlines like Sept. 30. It’s a longshot, but if passed it would amount to a permanent end to shutdown threats. Addressed to top party leaders on both sides of the Capitol, the missive asks for floor votes on the effort in both the House and the Senate, according to a draft copy obtained by POLITICO.
Click through – This is very good news which would be even better if it had a chance in the House. An do one had better start going on about the Founders not specifying this kind of action. None of them knew about the Mafia. Grrrr.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 24, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 242023

Yesterday, the radio opera was “La Fanciulla Del West” by Giacomo Puccini. If you have ever seen “The Girl of the Golden WEst in any other incarnation (there was a movie with Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy, for instance) You’ll know the story, complete with the blood dripping through the ceiling. (Estlin Usher got a pic of the set for that scene, but before the blood started dripping. He also got two of the bar and one of the final scene – no horse – but they look like they were taken from the very last row.) Minnie is one of the few Puccini heroines who survives the opera, but though the lovers are together, their future is far from certain as they ride off into the sunset. We can hope – and most if not all do – that it all works out. This is the last production from Beijing this season (and it was recorded in 2019); the rest of the schedule is in place, and I’m excited about it. There are some 21st century operas and some rarities from traditional composers – a lot will be new to me to hear, even if I have read about some of the operas. It will take us into December. And the Met’s radio schedule, which will pick up where this leaves off, is also out, and I am excited about it too. But that can wait. Also yesterday, the Carters showed up at the Plains Peanut Festival parade (in a vehicle). That choked me up. Finally, yesterday I had to bring out the space heater. Sigh. Now, off to see Virgil.

Cartoon – 24 new Jay + yom kippur (both loaded)

Short Takes –

HuffPost – The UAW Strike Poses The Biggest Test — And Opportunity — For Joe Biden’s Economic Agenda
Quote – Since taking office, Biden cast his domestic economic agenda as a repudiation of the free-market economic policies that have dominated since President Ronald Reagan won election in 1980. Reaganomics, with its “trickle-down” upper-income tax cuts, corporate deregulation and anti-labor actions, “failed the middle class, it failed America,” Biden said in a June speech. More than any other single event, how Biden handles the UAW strike could determine the political and policy success of his grand agenda.
Click through for explanation. HuffPost is talking about siding with the strikers. And my second take suggests that is exactly what he is doing – maybe not exactly the way that HuffPost suggests, but maybe even more strongly.

Axios – Biden to join UAW strike and picket with auto workers
Quote – President Biden said he’ll picket alongside the United Auto Workers in Michigan next week — in a rare act of a president visibly joining a labor movement…. Biden, who has previously called himself the “most pro-union president ever,” had urged U.S. automakers last week to share more of their “record profits” with the workers on strike. Biden’s visit is set for the day before former President Trump is expected to appear in Michigan instead of attending the second GOP primary debate.
Click through for details. HuffPost was not expecting this. But they also carry the story so if you like, you can compare the coverages.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 23, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:04 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 232023

Yesterday, I received a Substack newsletter from Mary L. Trump about the Meet The Press interview with TFG. She watched it so you and I don’t have to. (Beau did the same thing, taking notes, but, since TFG can lie faster than Beau can write, his notes are incomplete.) And Mary’s article really also just hits low points. (There were appaently no high points.) Here’s the link if anyone wants it. Also, Andy Borowitz’s headline was “Zelensky Offers to Broker Peace Deal Between Kevin McCarthy and House Republicans.” Yahoo cut off the subject line after “between,” so I wasn’t expecting that – I was expecting something more like “red states and blue states.” So I did laugh out loud.

Cartoon – 23 0213

Short Takes –

The New Yorker – Inside the War Between Trump and His Generals
Quote – Both Esper and Milley found new purpose in waiting out the President. They resisted him throughout the summer, as Trump repeatedly demanded that active-duty troops quash ongoing protests, threatened to invoke the Insurrection Act, and tried to stop the military from renaming bases honoring Confederate generals. “They both expected, literally on a daily basis, to be fired,” Gates recalled. Milley “would call me and essentially say, ‘I may not last until tomorrow night.’ And he was comfortable with that. He felt like he knew he was going to support the Constitution, and there were no two ways about it.” Milley put away the resignation letter in his desk and drew up a plan, a guide for how to get through the next few months. He settled on four goals: First, make sure Trump did not start an unnecessary war overseas. Second, make sure the military was not used in the streets against the American people for the purpose of keeping Trump in power. Third, maintain the military’s integrity. And, fourth, maintain his own integrity. In the months to come, Milley would refer back to the plan more times than he could count.
Click through for complete story. This article is a bit over a year old, but Milley is in the news again because the Atlantic has just published a profile. I can’t get into the Atlantic, but Steve Schmidt referenced this New Yorker article – which broke the existence of a never-submitted letter of resignation – as back-story, and I can get in to the New Yorker. The Atlantic profile also influenced Beau amd MSN and probably others to discuss it, so you could find more in a lot of places. My take is that the military is commonly considered to lean to the right – but “right” does not necessarily mean “authoritarian.” I (and I think Pat would agree, but she’s off now and through the weekend having fun) would trust the Generals in a crisis – with the caveat that they can function better when their promotions are confirmed, and only 3 of over 300 have gotten past Tuberville and those 3 were already months late. (Lawrence O’Donnell had some words on that. His Aunt Mary was a senior officer’s wife, and they had 7 kids.)

PolitiZoom – Zelenskyy: Russia Has Weaponized Food (In Addition To Energy)
Quote – So there’s that, but let’s get to the substance of what President Zelenskyy dove in to because it’s an impressive laundry list. BBC News has a nice piece that if you scroll down starts with the pre-speech stuff but it does a nice job of emphasizing those main points. Zelenskyy starts out throwing a hard punch, noting that Ukraine gave up the third largest stockpile of nuclear weapons once upon a time. (If you didn’t know this was a carefully negotiated treaty and Russia signed on – with a promise not to try and take over Ukraine I might add) He flat out said it was Russia, who is acting as a terrorist State that should have had to give up its nukes!
Click through for article. My first reaction was that with TFG “promising” that if reelected he’ll weaponize – fill in the blank – DOJ is probably at the top of the list-he’s sure to pick up this too. He won’t have to read PolitiZoom. He’ll get all the info he needs from Putin.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 22, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 222023

Yesterday, I learned, because Talking Points Memo had an opinion I felt was both too accurate and too scary not to share, that TPM is also on Substack – along with Heather Cox Richardson, Joyce Vance, Robert Reich, Robert Hubbell, Mary Trump, Margaret Atwood, and Wonkette, to name only a few. I predict that more and more of our best minds will be migrating to Substack, and this is why: “Since we transferred our shit over to substack, we’ve had a twenty-percent increase in paid subscribers. I haven’t cried about payroll ONCE, particularly since three (? math!) months later, I still have two months worth of payroll in the bank. When’s the last time I had two months of payroll in the bank? Oh, it’s been a long, long time.” That’s from one of Wonkette’s latest newsletters. I realize that scrolling and clicking to continue can be annoying. But I don’t want to quit sharing what I consider to be the best. So first, I promise you, I will never use paywalled content from Substack – I can’t see any of that myself, not being a paying subscriber to any of those I subscribe to. And second, if anyone really has difficulty accessing Substack artcles, let me know – with an email address. There are ways I can send Substack articles to you directly.

Cartoon – 22 block

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – It’s Time For A ‘Rural New Deal’
Quote – While “gerrymandering is a huge problem,” polarization is also an issue, as “rural voters are increasingly trending more to the right, and urban voters more to the left,” the Fix Our House report says. Members of Congress elected in uncompetitive districts fear primaries, so they focus on their voting base and refrain from working with “the enemy.” RUBI director Anthony Flaccavento said Tuesday that “the extreme political divide in our country robs rural communities of the resources and opportunities they need, while making it nearly impossible to address the biggest problems we face as a nation.”
Click through for article. Remember the New Deal? Remember the CCC? Maybe not from experience, but possibly from history, including oral history from parents. But thePeace Corps? That you may remember. The RND is being proposed at the same time as Joe’s and Kamala’s ACC (American Climate Corps). I think both are needed. Because it’s not just the economy which needs to be rebuilt from the bottom up and the middle out. Faith in Democracy needs the same makeover.

Talking Points Memo – House GOP Launders Disinformation Through Its Public Hearings – No Good Solutions To This Problem
Quote – Instead, the committee hearings give members the chance to inject the worst of the conspiracizing and crazy talk directly into the public record and into widespread media coverage – and the media still acts as if its powerless to stop participating in it. I could share with you the inane questions that Garland faced, where his face would contort with confusion over what whack-a-doodle premise was framing the question. Or Buttigieg’s exasperation with having to unpack all the lies and presumptions built into the questions he faced about EVs or his personal travel. But to do so would be to further mainline the disinformation. You get it.
Click through for full explanation of the problem (TPM is on Substack.) This is a big reason we need both of the programs in the first short take – and more. What these – people – are doing is poisoning the well. It reminds me of the incident in Willa Cather’s “Song of the Lark” – a tramp infected with typhoid is forced to leave town. He does – by jumping into the town well. He drowns, of course, but his act avenges his own death many times over. Many people wiser than I are saying the GOP is committing suicide with its irrational ideas and behavior. But if it is, it is also taking much of the nation down with it. Somehow we must address that.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 21, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 212023

Yesterday, I broke down and ordered a “Dark Brandon” mug. I had figured I wouldn’t be able to resis it – and I was right. And, yes, it means I’m going to have to start drinking hot beverages again, which I haven’t for some time (there aren’t cobwebs on my drip-style coffeemaker, but there might as well be.) And keep the mug away from the dishwasher. But buying it is a campaign contribution – and it will be fun. The image of Joe in aviators changes to fiery-eyed Dark Brandon when hot liquid is poured in. You may have seen it already, but just in case you haven’t…

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Avengers – Unionize!
Quote – Marvel Studios’ visual effects workers unanimously voted in favor of unionizing with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, IATSE announced Wednesday. This marks the first time a unit of solely VFX workers have unionized with the group. VFX artists have faced increased workloads and tight deadlines to complete some of the industry’s biggest budget franchise films in recent years, leading to tension between these workers and studios.
Click through for story. Power to the people! Solidarity Forever!

HuffPost – Illinois Is First State To Fully Abolish Cash Bail In Move To Stop Caging Poor People
Quote – “There’s economic costs of detaining people that are sort of macroeconomic costs, where if a person loses their job, they can’t be a part of society, they can’t contribute in that way that is important to Americans and to each person who’s responsible to their families,” Cherson said. “And that’s an extensive cost that the state ultimately has to bear, whether it’s through increased benefit payments or supportive services that are completely unnecessary if otherwise we just let people continue their lives.”
Click through for details. This is a good move. Colorado, I believe, still has bail (although I’ve seen enough ads for bondsmen disappear that I can’t swear to it.) But it also has, and has had for at least 30 years to my knowmedge, “OR” – “own recognizance.” In other words, you are free to live your life until the trial. Assuming you don’t screw up before the trial – I’m sure there are things a defendant can do which would call OR into question. What this Illinois law appears to do is to make OR the default, rather than something one must petition for. I’m cool with that.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 20, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:55 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 202023

Yesterday, I felt much better than I did Monday. Even my back – I only needed about half of the TENS time I customarily use.

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Short Takes –

PolitiZoom – MTG Likens Republicans in The House to The Mafia’s “Five Families”
Quote – As Kevin McCarthy’s Kindergarten caucus veers toward default and the wrecking of a now thriving American Economy (which is probably their ultimate goal ahead of next year’s election) MTG posted a tweet comparing the GOP to the Mafia’s Five Families…. Marge’s idiotic comparison is so far off the mark because… number one… organized crime was, you know… organized. The Republicans in the House are much more like The Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight, and if they are allowed to have their way it just might be our American experiment with democracy that ends up dead in the barber’s chair.
Click through for details. This may be the closest that Empty Green has ever been in her life to speaking/writing the truth.

Letters from an American – September 18, 2023
Quote – Headlines this morning said that “Congress” is in crisis. But that construction obscures the true story: the Republicans are in crisis, and they are taking the country down with them…. Over the weekend, six Republicans from five different party factions offered a plan for a short-term continuing resolution to fund the government and avoid a shutdown. Designed to appeal to the extremists, the plan goes back on the deal McCarthy struck with Biden…. It includes the border measures the extremists want, and provides no money either for Ukraine or for disaster assistance. It’s not clear that Republican House members will vote for the bill, and if they do, the bill is unlikely, encumbered as it is, to make it through the Senate.
Click through (Substack) for the full letter. She is right – and particularly about the inaccuracy of the reporting. You know, even getting big money out of politics will not help us to keep our Constitution from being trashed if we cannot also get big money out of journalism.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 19, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 192023

Yesterday, I woke up late, with a sinus headache – and despite having slept long, kept dropping off all day. And I need to mention that Sunday, my pretibial myxedema also made a liar out of me. I have had the conditin for well over 20 years and have never had a moment’s pain from it until Sunday night. Not that it lasted long – but while it did – it was humbling. Anyway – I hit the sack just as soon as I finished getting everything up. If I didn’t respond to your comments, apologies. I will eventually.

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Short Takes –

The 19th – Americans don’t trust politicians on abortion and gender-affirming care, poll finds
Quote – When asked whether “politicians are informed enough about abortion to create fair policies,” a sizable majority of voters from both parties said they strongly or somewhat disagreed. Seventy-six percent of Democrats disagreed, followed by 68 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of independents. This majority held across men, women and nonbinary Americans, as well as across races and ethnicities. When asked the same question about gender-affirming health care for minors, 77 percent of Democrats, 74 percent of Republicans and 69 percent of independents strongly or somewhat disagreed that politicians have enough information to create fair policy. This majority was also consistent across genders, ethnicities and races.
Click through for details. In a way it’s nice to know that the American people have this much sense. But it would be nicer if they would elect more politicians who are better informed.

PolitiZoom – Steve Schmidt Nails ‘Disastrous’ MTP Interview, How TV Journos Keep Playing Into Trump’s Hands
Quote – This is the best blow by blow analysis you’re going to hear of not only the failed interview of Donald Trump on Meet the Press this Sunday, and what a blown opportunity that was, but also of the failure of television journalism as a whole to deal with the Trump phenomenon and the political situation in this country today.
Click through for article. Steve Schmidt never pulls any punches.

Food For Thought

Open Thread September 18, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 182023

Yesterday, I caught up on some sleep, but upon arising, my body seemed determined to annoy me. I took care of the hip and the shoulder with the TENS unit, but my pretibial myxedema wasn’t so simple. Myxedema is a skin codition where fluid – I’m pretty sure lymphatic fluid – builds up under, not all the layers of skin, but under about the top two, which over time begin to look and feel like rice papre (but don’t hide what looks like bruising underneath.) It’s not painful and it doesn’t even itch -but if those two top skin layers breach, it starts leaking like crazy, If you don’t cover it with something, it can soak that whole part of a bed one’s legs are in. And a 3″x4″ “bandaid” doesn’t do the job, the fluid just leaks out under it (Although it can reduce the amount that gets all the way out.) Instead it requires something like a cotton leg warmer or a knee-high sock, cotton being best, but polyester works if it’s brushed and fluffy enough. So I had to deal with that – for about the fourth straight day – and I have no idea when the leaking will stop. It could be another week or two. At least no pain – just annoyance. Also, I have been knitting, and also trying to get more stuff ready for pickup. As a result I have not had time (and don’t see time coming) to read this article closely, and therefore I have no opinion on it. I do have an opinion that the deaths of JFK, MLK, and RFK were way to convienient for – I guess at that time it was mostly millionaires, but all too soon it will be trillionaires if we don’t do something. But I have no firm opinion on the details of how that worked out. I’ll just provide the link and let y’all look at it.

Also, in a comment on Nameless’s RoshHashanah post, I mentioned the radio special with Itzhak Perlman. KCME dot org will repeat it at 8 pm Thursday the 21st and 8 am Sunday the 24th. KCME is all over the world, but they also use their own player and it’s a little different. I’m thinking WFMT, WQXR, and WGBH are also likely to air it and quite possibly KVOD (CPR,org) on their own time schedules. The full name of the program is “Music for the High Holidays with Itzhak Perlman”. (There will be inforaition about food. Perlman likes to say that the definition of a Jewish holiday is “They tried to kill us. They did not succeed. Let’s eat.”)

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Short Takes –

HuffPost – Here’s The Political Conversation We Overlooked This Week
Quote – We’ve spent a lot of time this week talking about Hunter Biden and impeachment, which is fair enough. I just wish we’d found more time to discuss another story[.]… I’m talking about the annual U.S. Census Bureau report on income and health insurance, which came out Tuesday and which my colleague Jonathan Nicholson summarized for HuffPost. The report found that the country’s poverty rate jumped from 7.8% in 2021 to 12.4% last year ― and that the poverty rate among children, specifically, rose even more dramatically, from 5.2% to 12.4%. To put it another way, last year more than 1 in 8 American kids were living in a household struggling to pay for food, shelter, transportation and other essentials. Just a year before, fewer than half as many kids were in that position.
Click through for reasons, background, who’s on which side, and what can be done.

Orlando (FL) Sentinel – Florida leaders silent after senator confronts staffer at women’s shelter
Quote – Senate leaders have been silent about an angry confrontation between Republican Sen. Tom Wright and a female staffer at a Daytona Beach shelter for battered and abused women and their children over the Labor Day weekend. According to police reports, Wright yelled, lunged at, and placed his hand on the shoulder of a staff member who stopped Wright from getting on a bus full of the shelter’s residents out of concern for protecting their identities. Video footage provided by the Daytona Beach Police Department shows Wright’s tense encounter with a much shorter female staffer, who ran up to him to get him off the bus. Another employee stepped between them, and Wright, 71, turned to walk away, only to confront the worker a couple of more times before leaving. “For a political leader to come there and aggress on an employee in front of a busload of women and children who are making the courageous decision to protect themselves from violence is one of the most disgusting behaviors I have ever seen,” said Angie Pye, the former CEO of the Beacon Center, where the incident occurred.
Click through for details – which are very different and even more sinister than the details of Lauren Boebert’s little spree – but the trashiness is much the same.

Food For Thought

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