Open Thread August 9, 2022

 Posted by at 6:44 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 092022
 

Yesterday, reading my emails, I gathered that monsoon season is starting. As weird as it sounds, including to me, it is possible to have a monsoon season in an area which is essentially high desert. And if and when we have one, mid-August to mid-September is when it happens. Of course it wouldn’t be a monsoon season without flooding, and a new underpass on I-70 in the northeastern part of Denver flooded Sunday, confounding traffic. Northeastern Denver is exactly where the faciity is that Virgil is in, and a very short stretch of I-70 is part of the way to get there. It really is a very short stretch, like two exits (maybe half a mile), and I’m pretty sure there are no underpasses in it, but it still got my attention. New Mexico is experiencing monsoons too. Unfortunately, nowhere near enough of this flooding is going into the reservoirs and rivers where we so badly need it.

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Short Takes –

The 19th – Kamala Harris made history — so her husband did, too
Quote – Emhoff is the first second gentleman to the first woman vice president, and for him, tackling gender inequality in ways big and small felt like a natural, and critical, component of creating this role. He is actively attempting to model for others what it means to be an ally in actions, not just words. “I found where I can really make a difference is just trying to use my voice to lift women in leadership up,” Emhoff said.
Click through for this lovely story. At a time when gender equity is under threat in ways we never imagined, lovely stories are welcome. And needed.

The Daily Beast – Brian Kemp Slams Stacey Abrams for Something She Didn’t Do—but He Did
Qute – Kemp and his campaign have recently reupped false attacks on Democratic rival Stacey Abrams, accusing her, erroneously, of promoting a 2021 Major League Baseball boycott in Georgia as a means to pressure conservatives into repealing the new voting law Georgia passed in April 2021. While Abrams did not encourage that boycott—and, in fact, publicly discouraged it—Kemp himself personally called on Georgians to boycott companies when it suited his political agenda, and asked state legislators to take punitive economic action against Georgia-based Delta Airlines over ideological differences.
Click through for details. “From the sublime to the ridiculous” in today;’s short takes.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 8, 2022

 Posted by at 7:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 082022
 

Yesterday, it was a pretty unexciting day until the word came out that the Inflatin Reduction Act had been passed by the Senate. I picked up a very short, graphic short take about it, figuring there will be plenty of time to discuss it at length.

Cartoon – .(which  forgot to insert before posting, but went back and added later)

Short Takes –

Letters from an American – August 6, 2022
Quote – “Gentlemen,” [Garfield] said, “ideas outlive men; ideas outlive all earthly things. You who fought in the war for the Union fought for immortal ideas, and by their might you crowned the war with victory. But victory was worth nothing except for the truths that were under it, in it, and above it. We meet tonight as comrades to stand guard around the sacred truths for which we fought…. [W]e will remember our allies who fought with us,” he told them. “Soon after the great struggle began, we looked beyond the army of white rebels, and saw 4,000,000 of [B]lack 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 audience cheered, 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 background and what happened next. White supremacy = corruption. President Garfield was ambidextrous, multilingual, and so good at multitasking that he could write in Latin with one hand and Greek with the other at the same time. That means nothing – but this speech meant something. So, of course, they killed him.

Twitter – This happened yesterday at approximately 5 pm Eastern. By now I’m sure there is a real article of analysis up somewhere, but I didn’t want to wait:

I believe it goes to the House Friday. No need for tiebreaking there.

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Open Thread August 7, 2022

 Posted by at 6:42 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 072022
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was actually four short operas, two each by two different composers, all from the time that Louis XIV was living in Versailles. They were not presented by an opera company, but by the Boston Early Music Festival – both their Chamber Ensemble and their Vocal Ensemble. However, the program was performed and recorded in the Broadcasting Hall in Bremen, Germany. I can tell you it sounded a whole lot better then the Bremen Town Musicians in the folk tale of the same same (not that that would be difficult.) I’m familiar with Charpentier’s music and I’ve heard of Lalande, but not with these operas and I know virtually zero French, so I just sat back and enjoyed them as early Baroque music – or late Renaissance music (The novel “The Man in the Iron Mask” by Alexandre Dumas is set in Louis Xiv’s Versailles, but it is also the final novel in the Three Musketeers series, or as we might say today, franchise. Athos isn’t in it, nor is his son, who more or less takes his place after the second book, “Twenty Years After” – but D’Artagnan, Aramis, and Porthos are all critical to the plot. But I digress.) The production was lightly staged, fairly heavily costumed (it looks like the same costumes for all four operas, which would certainly be true to period) – in one photo parts of the orchestra can be seen, including three lute players.

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Short Takes –

ProPublica – A Right-Wing Think Tank Claimed to Be a Church. Now, Members of Congress Want to Investigate.
Quote – Reps. Jared Huffman, D-Calif., and Suzan DelBene, D-Wash., raised transparency concerns in a letter to the heads of both agencies following a ProPublica story about the Family Research Council, a right-wing Christian think tank based in Washington, D.C., getting reclassified as a church. Thirty-eight other lawmakers, including Reps. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and Jamie Raskin, D-Md., signed onto the letter.
Click through for details. Thom Hartmann, in today’s Video Thread, talks a bit about how this happened – and he points ou that it wouldn’t have happened if we had had Democratic Presidents for the last 30 years or so. The ones we did have clawed back Republican irresponsibility some, but not enough … and then came Trump**

HuffPost – Republicans Say Economy Is In Recession After It Added Half A Million Jobs In July
Quote – HuffPost asked the five Republican senators at the presser how July’s job growth could happen in a recession. Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-La.) pointed out that in the first and second quarters of the year, the U.S. saw negative growth in gross domestic product, an important economic metric. “The definition of recession is negative GDP growth in two successive quarters,” Cassidy said…. But economists don’t use a simple rule of thumb to figure out when the economy is in recession ― they follow the determinations of the National Bureau of Economic Research, a private nonprofit organization that’s served as custodian of the business cycle’s ups and downs since the 1960s.
Click through for full talking points. I assur you that if we were in a recession Maria Bartiromo would not have melted like Frosty the Snowman while trying to put a negative spin on the jobs report on Fox.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 6, 2022

 Posted by at 7:18 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 062022
 

Yesterday, my mechanic confirmed that the car won’t be ready till next week (which was certainly no surprise, but it’s nice to be clear.) I did a little dealing with things on my front porch so I can get more out there for the charity pickup scheduled for the 24th. There’s still a lot to move out there … but I got a start which will help considerably.

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Keith Olbermann’s Countdown Is Back — As A Podcast
Quote – The premiere episode of Countdown With Keith Olbermann steals from a) all his other programs b) Beethoven and Bach and c) Peter Finch as Howard Beale in the film “Network” – only with Olber-Beale screaming “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take Trump any more!”
Click through for more information.  I didn’t put this in the video thread because it’s an hour program (including some commercials, and sound only, and no CC that I could find), but I did listen, so you don’t have to, unless you want to. I know a number of people here do like Keith. He vents the same frustrations we all share.

Wonkette – Nancy Pelosi Goes To Taiwan, Uh Oh, That’s A Warrin’!
Quote – Wednesday, Pelosi, the first woman speaker, met with President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first woman president (America continues to hang its head in shame). She noted that a group of (male) Congress members had visited Taiwan in April and cast some fierce shade on China’s current bluster. “They made a big fuss because I’m the speaker, I guess. I don’t know if that was a reason or an excuse,” she said. “Because they didn’t say anything when the men came.” ’Nuff said.
Click through for story. I used Wonkette’s take becuse I am ambivalent. I respect both Pelosi and Biden and don’t know enough about this aspect of foreign policy to try to secod-guess either of them. (I do know she did invite Republicans and was turned down.)

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 5, 2022

 Posted by at 6:53 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 052022
 

Yesterday, I got the estimate of what is wrong with my car, including a bunch of smaller things which weren’t the problem but needed doing. Those estimates always include noticifations on things that may not be urgent but could coe up on the future, one of which I authorized to take care of now. the bil will eat a third of my cushion – but that still gives me 2/3 of it left. And it’s probable that my minimum required distribution for my 401(k) will replenish it, or most of it. So I’m cool/. But it will likely not be ready until next week. In honesty, that’s OK too. On a “Now for something completely different” note, I got en email from the Metropolitan Opera that they are releasing a DVD of “Fire Shut Up in My Bones,” the first opera by a black compoer ever to be presented at the Met. I don’t expect to be gettig it – but I’m well aware that the fact they are releasing it means the response to it muct have been overwhelming – overwhelmingly positive. And that makes ne smile.

Cartoon – 05 0805Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Cowboys And Women: Tex Never Had A Chance
Quote – A menstrual pain relief manufacturer set up a booth outside of the Calgary Stampede, where the cowboys are real macho and tough. But each and everyone of the guys crumpled under the pain produced by a menstrual cramp simulator. What really brings it home is the woman they showed hooked up to the simulator who never even blinked an eye in the face of the pain.
Click through for story. Remember the only men wo will subject themselves to this are those who think women are all lying or at best exaggerating. Men who know better, know better. Those who don’t – really need to learn.

CPR – Donations for Tina Peters’ recount poured in after she appeared on Steve Bannon’s podcast
Quote – Nearly 70 people donated more than a thousand dollars to the Peters campaign during the period in which Peters was raising money for the recount. An individual can donate a maximum of $1,250 during the election cycle in the Secretary of State’s race. Candidates can accept contributions throughout the entire election cycle even if they have lost. So that means Peters is legally allowed to accept donations until Dec. 8, 2022. Peters has made election fraud the centerpiece of her campaign for Secretary of State and on election night told her supporters, “we didn’t lose. We just found out more fraud.”
Click through for details. She has broken bail conditions twice, been arrested for ti twice, yet for some reason they won’t keep her locked up. At least the fact that the money is from out of state means those who gave it will not be voting.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 4, 2022

 Posted by at 7:05 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 042022
 

Yesterday, it was pretty quiet. I did need to get another grocery delivery, as the last one sorted me on green salad. I have plenty of frozen vegetables stocked, but I enjoy sommer meals more and feel better if I have a green salad daily while it’s warm. This time I got everything I asked for, so I’m set for a while. Otherwise, a quiet day. My shoulder is still being annoying, but I have a shoulder brace coming, and I used some arnica gel on it today, which helped..

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Short Takes –

Crooks & Liars – Ted Lieu Introduces Act Naming Russia As Terrorist State
Quote – Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) is leading a bipartisan group of House members in sponsoring the Russia is a State Sponsor of Terrorism Act in response to their invasion of Ukraine. Those members include Reps. Joe Wilson (R-SC), Jared Golden (D-ME), Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) and Tom Malinowski (D-NJ).
Click through for story. Ted Lieu may not be Jamie Raskin (but then, who but Jamie is?) or even Eric Swalwell (ditto), but he does have a history of presenting truth forcefully. I appreciate him.

Letters from an American – August 2, 2022
Quote – But this moment increasingly feels like it’s about more than abortion rights, crucial though they are. The loss of our constitutional rights at the hands of a radical extremist minority has pushed the majority to demonstrate that we care about the rights and freedoms that were articulated—however imperfectly they were carried out—in the Declaration of Independence. We care about a lot of things that have been thin on the ground for a while.
Click through for everything. This was the day of the primaries in many states and there is significant news from more than one of them. There is also more new information abut Trump** information sedition. Any of these news items could be found elsewhere, but Richardson wraps it all up nicely and ties a bow on it.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 3, 2022

 Posted by at 6:44 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 032022
 

Yesterday, Virgil called and I was able to reassure him that I’m alive and also let him know I have no idea how long it is going to take to get repairs done. So that’s a relief. As much as I had it under control in that I did get stuff done, all that streaa wore me out. I may be sleeping more than usual for the next few days. Today’s short take are kind of “The Good, the Bad, and theUgly” – the first one is the good, the second is the bad – and the FFT is the ugly. Honestly – people! I was toying with another bad/ugly article but it’s not verified yet so I’ll hold it for a bit.

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Short Takes –

DU (crimycarny) – I got a personal call from Jamie Raskin regarding my son’s suicide (hanky alert)
Quote – After I hung up I went downstairs to tell my husband. As I was showing him the number I accidentally hit redial. I hung up right away and I also assumed it was a switchboard type number. Next thing I know a call is coming in from the same number. I pick up and it’s Jamie again! He said “Hi Crimycarny, I saw you just tried to call. Did you need something?” I said no, that it was a mistake redial. He replied “ok, I just wanted to make sure. Well, you have my number if you need anything.”
Click through for full story. We have some great Democrats, but if you can think of anyone who is more “the real deal” than Raskin. I’d love to hear it.

Crooks and Liars – Where Have All The Flowers Gone? Stomped By Russians, Every One
Quote – Look, we get it. He’s losing a war he was assured would take just a few days to win, and it’s day 158 of the Russian invasion, so obviously, he’s mad at some flowers. You can’t make this stuff up…. [T]here is no help for people like the self-entitled man driving with a diplomatic license plate, who got out of his car to kick some children’s flowers, then sped to safety behind the gates.
Click through for story and video. As he kicks the flowers, he yells, “Murderers! Murderers!” Projection much?

Food For Thought (been saving this one for a day when Roger’s name came up. The Lincoln Project video in today’s thread.)-

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Open Thread August 2, 2022

 Posted by at 6:46 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 022022
 

Yesterday, I heard from my mechanic in response to the email I sent the previous night. I’m a long-time customer, and they have been known to squeeze me into their schedule if I had an immediate need, so I made sure to include that this time I don’t, and they responded that they can get to it in the next day ot two. Now I just need to hear from Virgil. He must be terrified He should have gotten my note, but I had not heard from him by 7 pm.

Cartoon – 02 HHudson RTL

Short Takes –

CPR – U.S. House passes Neguse-backed wildfire and drought bill addressing firefighter pay, forest health and recovery dollars
Quote – With wildfires and drought becoming increasingly existential problems for Colorado and neighboring states, the House took action Friday, passing a package of nearly 50 bills that Rep. Joe Neguse says “meets the moment for the West.” Neguse is a lead sponsor on the package, known as the Wildfire Response and Drought Resiliency Act, as well as the author of some of its specific provisions. It passed the House on a nearly party-line vote of 218-199…. Among the provisions in the bill are millions of dollars to help Colorado River reservoirs, Lake Mead and Lake Powell, the establishment of centers to focus on best practices for prescribed burns so that these potentially-destructive mitigations are done right, an increase for the base wildland firefighter pay, and steps to address forest health, such as removing underbrush and dead trees.
Click through for details. It appears to cover just about everything. Thankfully, not all our reps are like Boebert. (In a related story, the state has eased fishing restrictions on a cople of reservoirs which are fast losing water – because they’d rather have the fish get caught than suffocate.)

DU (IcyPeas) – Minutes after Guy Reffitt was sentenced to 7 years in Capitol riot case… his daughter calls for “life in prison” for Donald Trump
Quote – Her exact words were “Trump deserves life in prison if my father is to be in prison for this long.”
Click through – the story here is told in tweets. The daughter isn’t wrong.

Food For Thought –

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