Open Thread August 8, 2023

 Posted by at 6:15 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 082023
 

Yesterday, I got a note from James – our lurker who has had so many problems in the last few years, most recently multiple surgeries (and asked for vibes for those.) After six years, he has finally received SSDI. IIRC he had to re-apply once or twice, but even if that only went back to the most recent re-application, that’s still a couple of years back pay. He can finally be confident of a roof over his head, not starving, and being together with his beloved Cinnamon, the last surviving dog in what was once a family of house dogs (for a while he had to board Cinnamon with a friend, not only because of his absence due to the surgeries, but for financial reasons.) So he has freedom at last. Also yesterday – I know Colorado has a well deserved reputation for crazy weather – but can you even imagine a day when the temperature follows the pattern of the red line in the graph at the right? Yes, that was yesterday. Really. Finally, today is the big vote in Ohio nn a proposed highly unconcstitutional amendment to the state constitution. Be sure to keep them in your prayers (or however you communicate with the universe.)

Cartoon – 08 0808Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

Wonkette – Black DA Elected In Augusta Georgia So White County Creates Own Separate, Unequal Judicial Circuit
Quote – Reporter Justin Glawe details in The Guardian how the day after the election, before the results were even certified, Republican state legislator Barry Fleming sent a text to Doug Duncan, the county commission chair for Columbia, one of the three counties in the circuit and by far the whitest. The text asked, “Does the board of commissioners want to be there [sic] own judicial circuit.” (No one has time for spelling when they’re busy screwing democracy!) Duncan thought this was swell, so by December, he’d officially asked the area’s lawmakers to introduce legislation separating Columbia county from the judicial circuit that also included Richmond and Burke counties.
Click through for story. After learning what’s been going on forever in Newbern, AL, this hit me with the realization that stuff like this has been going on, all over, since 1964 and we simply haven’t seen it, despite its being done in broad daylight. Apperently even woke Democrats aren’t woke enough.

Letters from an American – August 6, 2023
Quote – On August 6, 1880, Republican presidential candidate James A. Garfield gave one of his most famous speeches…. Garfield promised that “we will remember our allies who fought with us.” He explained: “Soon after the great struggle began, we looked behind the army of white rebels, and saw 4,000,000 of black people condemned to toil as slaves for our enemies; and we found that the hearts of these 4,000,000 were God-inspired with the spirit of liberty, and that they were all our friends.” As the crowd applauded, he continued: “We have seen white men betray the flag and fight to kill the Union; but in all that long, dreary war we never saw a traitor in a black skin.”
Click through for the untold story. Sounds to me like Garfield signed his own death warrant that night. I know tht’s not what the history books say., but…. Also, we need to add another Republican to the list of good presidents.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 7, 2023

 Posted by at 6:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 072023
 

Yesterday, Steve Schmidt wrote about a forthcoming debate between Gavin Newsom (CA) and Ron DeSantis (FL) which is to be hosted on Fox by Sean Hamity. He fully expects Newsom to triumph, and is looking forward to seeing it. Having steeped myself in the Alt-Right Playbook, I will not be watching.There will be far too many people unable to understand what the are seeing and unable to accept any victory but that of a bully. I have screamed about that too may times and am quite hoarse already. Though I’d love to be wrong. Steve says Gavin gave him the best parenting advice he has ever received, and to this day asks whenever they meet how his son is doing. MAGAts’ idea of parenting advice is “Raise your son to be a monster.” Yes, some of them actually say that. Along with make sure your kids have guns. I just can’t. Anyway, the date has not been set, but Steve promises updates as soon as available. Backing up a little, earlier this week (most of you probably got this) our Mitch sent a photo of a Monarch on the milkweed he had planted to attract them, and remarked that he hoped for caterpillars. Yesterday, he sent a couple of photos of caterpillars. Of course I congratulated the butterfly foster daddy!

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Short Takes –

HuffPost – The Network Behind Trump’s Election Lies Hasn’t Backed Down — Despite His Indictment
Quote – But Trump’s attempts to overturn the election were enabled by a fertile environment to bolster his groundless claims. Several co-conspirators allegedly helped manufacture and push the lies that fueled his attempt to steal a second term, per the indictment, in addition to a network of supporters who have invested their time and energy over the past three years in supporting the big lie. While none of these allies were charged in the indictment ― Trump is the sole named defendant ― it’s hard to deny the culture of election denial they helped create.
Click through for essay. If it were just Trump**… we could deal with it. It’s this that’s the problem going forward.

CNN – Black mayor of tiny Alabama town says he was ousted by his White predecessor
Quote – LaQuenna Lewis said she was introduced to Braxton as the mayor by a mutual friend when she was looking to find a base for her non-profit food distribution work. She told CNN he helped with that request and then she decided she had to help him over his disputed mayorship. “I was just in disbelief because I had never seen or heard of anything like that,” said Lewis, who added that her family had lived around Newbern “forever.” It took time to find the right attorneys and get the lawsuit going, she said, but it was still relevant even more than three years after Braxton was told he was mayor. “I was noticing that people felt like this is a small town, it didn’t merit the attention,” she said. “But this is definitely major. This is something that if it’s happening here, you never know where else it’s happening.”
Click through – yes, I covered this when it came out locally, but it’s now national news (a good thing) and there are some updates.

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Open Thread August 6, 2023

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 062023
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Benjamin Britten’s “Turn of the Screw” (libretto by Myfanwy Piper – she was a Welsh poet and librettist), based on the novella by Henry James. I saw this opera performed when I was in college, and I had read the book, and I’ve read critical works about both, and I have no idea what happens in it. But that’s because no oe does. (Well, maybe Henry James, but he’s dead. And Britten and Piper knew what they intended, but they’re dead too.) It’s one of two things. Either a governess comes to s country home to care for a young brother and sister, where the ghostsof the previous (deceased) governess and a (recently deceased) butler have demonically possessed them. Or else, a governess comes to a country home to take care of a young brother and sister, but becomes delusional and evuntually psychotic. And part of the point is that none of the creators – not James, not Britten, not Piper – wanted anyone to know for sure which was “reality.” It’s creepier this way. Britten’s other operas include “Peter Grimes” (considered his masterpiece). “Billy Budd,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Albert Herring,” of which only Peter Grimes is at all ambiguous. And it’s not ambiguous in the same way. There’s no question about what happened – only the degree to which Grimes could have prevented the worst of it if he had done things differently. I’m not sure of that either, but there is enough information that I can understand taking a position and being comfortable with that position, either way. Turn of the Screw, not so much. Melodically, probably the most memorable part is the little song the children sing, “Malo, malo, malo, malo” which due to the peculiarities of Latin really does translate to “I would rather be in an apple tree than a naughty boy in adversity.” Of course the repetition of it doesn’t hurt in making it memorable, nor does the growing implication that i’s darker than the actual meaning would suggest. This production was recorded in Budapest in September 2022, and conducted by Ivan Fischer.  It’s scored for only 13 musicians.  Britten really demonstrates that, if you know wht you re doing, you can get a wole lot of color out of an ensemle that small.  There are six characters, and five of them are sopranos.  The other is a tenor.  Most composers will make their villains baritones, and especially if the villain is supernatural.  I find it much scarier if that character is a tenor.

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Short Takes –

Today’s Edition Newsletter – Our role in ensuring accountability.
Quote – We find ourselves in an unfair situation: To hold Trump to account for his crimes, we must defeat him politically. Embedded in that unfair proposition are two disturbing corollaries:
If Trump (or a surrogate) is elected, a Republican Attorney General will dismiss the charges against Trump; and
Republicans in Congress will accept that perversion of justice by Trump and his Attorney General as “business as usual” in the post-truth, post-democracy second Trump administration.
Click through (and click “Continue Reading”). He’s right. It isn’t fair at all. But – if you thought you could sit back and let the Special Counsel’s office work – you can’t. Actually, I’m sure no one here was intending to sit back and relax for anything longer than a short victory lap. But – if you know anyone who is – best pass this on.

NPR – Petting other people’s dogs, even briefly, can boost your health.
Quote – I started pondering the power of dogs during one of my daily strolls around my neighborhood. Almost invariably, I’ll run into at least one person walking their dog. If I get the OK to pet the pooch, it’s a joyous moment of cooing and sloppy kisses. I always walk away from these canine exchanges feeling just a bit more relaxed, and happy. And that got me wondering, could these short interactions with other people’s dogs actually be good for me?
Click through for story. Though not mentioned, I’m sure this is also true for cats – for some people, even more so. “Dog people” and “cat people” do exist (granted with a good deal of overlap.)

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Open Thread August 5, 2023

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 052023
 

Yesterday, It was fairly quiet. Actually, it was really quiet around here – and there wasn’t that much in the news. Of course Thursday was the big news day. After that, most other news is going to be anticlimactic. I did manage to find a couple of things to say, though. WRT the FFT, ordinarily I’d put it in the video thread. But the success story, which I covered here, but not from this angle, is a victory most of us, maybe all of us were part of, as he points out.

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Short Takes –

The 19th – Young Americans who identify with gun culture are more likely to believe in male supremacy, research shows
Quote – Pasha Dashtgard, the director of research at PERIL and an expert on male supremacy and online radicalization, said one factor propelling this sentiment is a shifting economic landscape in America. “In places of economic instability, men are shifting from this attitude of man as provider to man as protector,” he said. “You may not be able to, as a man, be the primary breadwinner, but you can — through acquiring guns and the willingness to use guns for violence — reclaim your masculinity as a protector.” Even in young people, this sentiment was notable and behind many of the things that participants expressed to the researchers during interviews. Dashtgard said this speaks to a larger cultural dynamic at play currently, where many White men are feeling unsure of how to articulate themselves as men in current society. As a result, many young men are turning to guns as an “unimpeachable access to masculinity.”
Click through for details. “What a surprise!” said no one ever.Apparently we need to provide education to teach people who don’t realize it that a gun and a penis are not the same.

Colorado Public Radio – ‘I Am the Bridge’: How a poem being presented at an African cultural event in Arvada was created by 50 people from different ethnicities and cultures
Quote – Words of resilience, marginalization, trepidation and community were spoken when about 50 people showed up on July 1 at a spiritual center in Arvada to brainstorm lines for what eventually became “I Am the Bridge: A Poem By All Of Us.” It’s a four-page poem with contributions from local Native Americans, Asians, Hispanic people, Jewish people, European people, Black Americans and African immigrants. It will be performed by seven people, one representing each of these groups, at the Arvada Center on Saturday evening.
Click through for a few quotes and more information. It isn’t Amanda Gorman, but it is powerful nevertheless.

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Open Thread August 4, 2023

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 042023
 

Yesterday (actually Wednesday, but Heather Cox Richardson’s letters don’t arrive until after midnight), Richardson came up with an explanation why the military were slow to respond on January 6 which makes sense. Readers’ Digest version, they had gotten wind of Trump**’s considering using the Insurrection Act and were not sure whose side they’d be on – and didn’t want to be on the wrong side. I don’t know whether that’s original to her or whether it’s floating around. But it does make sense. The military were (quite reasonably) concerned about what Trump** might do, and at that point it wasn’t as widely known as it is now who was in on it. Also this week, our national credit rating was downgraded by Fitch Ratings Inc. (I never heard of them either, but I don’t run in those circles.) This is only the second time in history our credit rating has been downgradeed, the first being in 2011 by Standard & Poor. Both downgrades happened shortly after a fight in Congress over the debt ceiling – in other words, both were caused by Republicans in Congress – but both also happened during Democratic Presidencies. In 2012 Obama was reelected anyway. We’ll hope that the IQ of the American public has not degraded so much in the intervening 12 years as to hurt Joe’s reelection. Also yesterday, Colorado Public Radio reported that Colorado’s troll population has doubled. But not to worry. They’re talking about statues. Oh yeah, and Donald J. Trump** was arraigned. But you knew that.

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Short Takes –

HuffPost Politics – The Republicans Still Defending Trump Would Be Totally Fine With This
Quote – Now, none of this is actually possible because Democrats, including Biden, and a small group of Republicans voted in 2022 to reform the Electoral Count Act to prevent the submission of phony elector slates and specify the vice president’s role as solely ceremonial. Most Republicans, however, opposed this reform. And in defending Trump today, they seem to think that it would be legal and fine for Biden to pressure elected officials to change vote totals, organize phony electors and for Harris to unilaterally steal the election for Biden.
Click through for logical conclusion. Not that we haven’t all figured it out already. But it’s well thought out all the way, and well said.

WDRB dot com (tip fro Crooks & Liars) – Kentucky woman convicted of mailing threats, racial slurs to neighbors sentenced by judge
Quote – The woman who mailed violent, racists threats to her neighbors in Lake Forest will spend nine years in prison for it. The case has been ongoing for about three years. According to court documents, Suzanne Craft sent a series of threatening letters to a family in the Lake Forrest neighborhood after being ordered to stay away from them. This happened between November and December 2020, prosecutors said.
Click through for details. Appears she has reached the “Find Out” part. I wonder whether nine years will be enough.

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Open Thread August 3, 2023

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 032023
 

Yesterday, the newsletters were filled with responses to The Indictment. Substack in particular was packed – of course the people I subscribe to there are mostly experts, not only knowledgeable but competent and experienced communicators, so that is what one would and should expect – but I was a little overwhelmed. As a legal layperson, I thought Joyce Vance’s column was the best – the explanations were thorough, and the personal feelings showing through were in such congruence with mine (and probably with yours) that I was deeply moved. I’m not going to try to do a short take – I’ll just provide the link (remember to look for the popup and click “continue reading”)

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Short Takes –

Talking Points Memo – Newly Revealed Text Messages Show GOP Officials At Ground Zero Of Election Conspiracy Outlined By Trump Indictment
Quote – Text messages obtained by Talking Points Memo — most which have not previously been made public — paint a picture of what was going on behind the scenes in the White House during the crucial period the special prosecutor has zeroed in on. In particular, they reveal that Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel and former Arizona Republican Party Chairwoman Kelli Ward were among those who played key roles in elements of the alleged conspiracy from the moment Smith said it began.
Click through for details. There have been some occasions when Willard “Mitt” Romney appeared to have a sense of ethics. But he clearly wasn’t able to raise a daughter with ethics, so even those few occasions are now questionable.

USA Today – FBI: Over 200 sex trafficking victims, including 59 missing children, found in nationwide operation
Quote – “Operation Cross Country” grew out of a 2003 FBI initiative which identified and recovered sexually exploited minors. It’s a coordinated operation involving federal, state and local agencies across the country. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) is also a significant partner in the initiative, the FBI said.
Click through for full story. I probably should have posted a barf bag alert – not for their results, but for the fact that they do it every summer – and never come up empty.

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Open Thread August 2, 2023

 Posted by at 6:14 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 022023
 

Yesterday, I though perhaps with all the hoo-ha and kerfuffle about the Barbie movie, maybe some of you would appreciate a mini-review fron a user at Democratic Underground. It did give me a chuckle. I won’t see it because it would have to be in a theater and the fumes from the ppcorn wouldgive me an allergic reaction – how big or what symptoms I can’t predict, but edema of aome kind would be involved. Also yesterday, my very best birthday present was Trump**’s third Federal indictment, this one in the election investigation. Woo-hoo! And the New Yorker also gifted me a Name Drop I could solve on the first clue.

Cartoon – 02 Taiwan

Short Takes –

Wonkette – Broken Elevator Denies Tammy Duckworth Entrance To Barbie Land
Quote – “I have a five-year-old and an eight-year-old. We have three Barbie Dream houses, including one I set up — all 900 pieces. So we were super excited for the movie.”… She uses a wheelchair and had confirmed ahead of time that the theater showing Barbie was fully accessible. This is a familiar practice for anyone with mobility issues…. When Duckworth arrived at the movie theater and bought tickets, she learned the elevator to the theater itself was broken…. She was especially frustrated that there was no signage explaining the problem, as if it was a minor inconvenience rather than an insurmountable barrier for someone like Duckworth.
Click through for Wonkette’s (especially appropriate here) attitude on this story. You know, my mobiity issues are age-related, and it’s conceivable (though not certain) that I could have avoided some of them by lifestyle chages or being more careful. Tammy gor hers fighting for our country. The theater staff should have carried her up the damn stairs (and down again after.)

Robert Reich – X Marks the Hate
Quote – I detest bullies…. Today, I want to do four things: (1) Summarize research showing that Musk’s Twitter/X has been spreading hate and malicious lies big time — research coming not just from the CCDH but also from the Anti-Defamation League, Media Matters, and Stanford University, among many others. (2) Tell you why this hate surge has been happening on Twitter. (3) Show how Musk’s lawsuit is designed to silence those who are revealing this surge. (4) And explain why Musk is so intent on silencing them.
Click through for all four points (but don’t skip the first paragraph). At risk of sounding like a broken record, I’ll say the Reich on the left is right (as usual.)

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Open Thread August 1, 2023

 Posted by at 6:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 012023
 

Yesterday, as I had predicted, I slept in hard. And woke up feeling pretty good, both physically and attitude-wise. Today is a new month, and I already have all the cartoons checked – Of the 31 TC had for this month in 2015, 29 are usable, and I have already made the other two.  On to September!

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Wonkette – DA Fani Willis Said The Fun Will Begin In August. Guess What Month Starts Tomorrow, Donald Trump?
Quote – Just as last week’s indictments were coming down, news was coming out of Atlanta that they were starting to put up barricades around the courthouse. Why? Because it’s Fuck Around And Find Out Summer! Plus, Willis had already said the fun was going to start in August. Now, there are a couple more fun new developments on that front…. And speaking of Fani Willis, she talked to reporters this weekend, and here is what she said:
Click through for article. It is Substack, so click on “continue reading” when it pops up, scrolling down first if necessary. I figure if we must have news involving TFG, we may as well have a little fun with it. Also, Substack videos can be weird, so I made a rough transcript of the one near the end: “First, [I made] a commitment to the American people but most importantly the citizens of Fulton County that we are going to be making some big decisions over the election investigation and that I would do that before September First 2023. [With what we’ve] accomplished over the last two and a half years, we’re ready to go.”

Common Dreams – What Florida Students Could Learn From PragerU Kids
Quote – A cartoon Booker T. Washington distorting the history of the Civil War. A narrator explaining that embracing climate denialism is akin to participating in the Warsaw Uprising. An instructional video telling girls that conforming to gender stereotypes is a great way to embrace their femininity. A dramatization of the supposedly civilizing, benevolent era of British colonial rule in India. These are just some of the episodes of PragerU Kids—an offshoot of right-wing propaganda organization PragerU—that Florida has just approved for use in its public school classrooms, reflecting and potentially accelerating the state’s hard conservative turn.
Click through for details. The title does not mean what I first thought it meant, which would have been something like, “PragerU kids may be baby MAGAts, but there is still something positivie to be learned from them.” Instead, it means something more like “Horrible things that Florida could be learning from PragerU propaganda if someone doesn’t put a stop to it.” You mey remember during the Vietnam war we mocked the remark “We had to destroy the village to save it.” But – if one thinks, not of the people of Florida en masse but of Floridas educational structure – this may be a time when that is actually true.

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