Personal – Page 30 – Politics Plus

Open Thread October 4 2025

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

Oct 042025

Yesterday, I awoke with the joint where my right thumb meets my right hand just throbbing. I rubbed some cold formula sore muscle rub on it, which helped, and I put on an arthritis glove, which also helped. But I haven’t had full use of it all day – so of course this was the day that FIVE packages came, and one was very heavy. I managed to get them all into the house but not all opened. One of them was my new speakers about which I’ll say more when I can type better (and have tried them out.) I forwarded an email to a few of you – not all, because I don’t have my mailing list complete, and I didn’t send it to anyone outside the US. It was an email warning that ICE is now actively looking for immigrant children. Here’s the link that Daily Dose of Democracy provided for more information. If you have children, or grandchildren, or great-grandchildren down to age 10, you need to see it. If you know anyone who does, you will probably want to share it. Also, Don Froomkin of Press Watch says the Chicago apartment raid needs more attention. Here’s the link to his analysis, and here’s another to Heather Cox Richardson. I haven’t read both through as I type, but but the time you see this, I may have managed to read through both. But maybe not. Tomorrow I’ll be going to see Virgil.

This from The Root is directed to the Black community. I don’t want anyone to panic, but it appears to me that everyone should be aware of this, not just people of color and in other underserved groups.

Some of that silence was just protocol. Generals don’t applaud (or at least, not when in uniform. See the Hatch Act.) But the further they got into the meeting, and especially with the two jerks soliciting applause, the louder a statement it became.

When the ACA was passed, I had coverage from prior employment as a retiree, and soon after that from Medicare. As y’all probably know, Medicare is complicated enough, and I wasn’t working in insurance (I never actually worked with life or health insurance anyway), so I depend on journalists to give me a sense of who qualifies for what and why. Wonkette is not the obvious journal to go to for that, but I think Robyn has done an impressive job of clarifying this.

Open Thread October 3 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 032025

Yesterday, the details of an ICE raid on an apartment building in Chicago were published, including by Wonkette. It appears they simply broke down every door in the building, detained everyone, then after some hours released those they had been able to confirm were citizens. If you don’t want to read about it, I don’t blame you but here’s the link anyway.

This from The Conversation goes along with the article earlier this week about learning to be defiant. If a serious, dedicated scholar can be as far off about what the Third Reich looked like from inside, the rest of us need to take notice now.

Wow. Just Wow. Wonkette – well, it isn’t actually Wonkette which nails it – it’s District Judge Young, but Wonkette serves it up. And it inspired me to use a cartoon I have been holding, because it makes it so clear that it isn’t words, and certainly not words alone, which make terrorists.

This HuffPost article sheds some light on the Federal shutdown. And also on the messaging. Our messaging is pretty clear, and self explanatory, if anyone who needs to hear it will ever hear it (and believe it – they are so accustomed to believing six impossible things before breakfast that getting their belief is not exactly guaranteed.)

Open Thread October 2 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 022025

Yesterday, we learned that Jane Goodall has died. She was 91. Such a loss. I’m struck by the difference between her research, which was with primates in their natural habitat acting normally, as opposed the the “research” on wolves which studied only wolves in captivity, who do not act the same way or even close in their natural habitat. If someone did a study on humans but did it inside a prison using the prison population as subjects, we would instantly reject it. But if it’s on wolves – we just swallow it whole.

Obviously I am not about to be able to go do the kind of stuff Robert Reich describes here. But it does point to ways that younger, stronger, and more phone-literate people can conceivably get involved.

Press Watch on Trump’s occupation of Portland. Dan says his question “raises questions about his mental competence.” To me, it actually suggests he may have some. Can you imagine any Fox-Sinclair-OAN watching cult-brain-frozen MAGA asking this? They seem pretty unquestioning to me. But I may be missing something.

A guest video from Robert Reich. I can’t embed it because it’s in the “Shorts” format (More analysis on the shutdown tomorrow.)

Open Thread October 1 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 012025

Yesterday, I did sleep late, although not as late as I dreamed I did (I dreamed I slept until today.) I saw several emails in my inbox leading to reviews of the Hogsbreath debacle, but Wonkette gave it the respect it deserved. Today is apparently the first day of a government shutdown. Expect pain – but what form it will take, I don’t know.

This does not by any means redeem the New York Times. (For one thing, I find it difficult to believe that the people who need to read or hear this the most actually read well enough to be bothered to read the Magazine section.)

Anyone who reads The Guardian is already aware of this. If you don’t read The Guardian, Wonkette will bring you up to speed. Not that it should be any surprise to anyone, of course. There’s a saying that people under 40 have the face they were born with, while people over 40 have the face they deserve. Miller just turned 40 this year, but I think he’s had the face he deserves for a very long time.

I’m not familiar with Futurism, so I looked it up at Media Bias/Fact Check, which says it is pro-science and mostly factual in reporting (not that I don’t also take that with a grain of salt.) I’m aware most people, including journalists, think this is Stephen Miller’s job, and I’m sure that it is, to an extent. But that doesn’t mean there can’t be others. And they may be working together, or in competition, or just separately.

Open Thread September 30 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 302025

Yesterday, as usual on a Monday, I slept quite late. And today is the day of the “meeting” at Quantico. I may just sleep late again. I’d rather not even be awake, let alone reading about it, while Hogsbreath desecrates Quantico with his presence.

Well, this (Politico) is interesting. Not, I would say, surprising, but interesting

Resist. Persist. Repeat. It sounds so simple, doesn’t it. And it is simple. But simple is not the same thing as easy. The Conversation addresses why compliance can be so much easier than defiance, and what can be done about it.

There are two stories in this article from Wonkette, and either one might be accompanied by a tissue alert, so with the two together, I think the alert is necessary. Also, there’s more about the Roberts arrest here. However, there are hundreds, or thousands, of cases very much like these, and if we don’t take a closer look at some of them, we won’t grasp the full significance. Sometimes to see the forest, one needs to look at some of the trees.

Open Thread September 29 2025

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

Sep 292025

Yesterday, there was another mass shooting, this one near Flint, MI. It was complicated by a vehicle crash, an explosion, and a highly destructive fire, which may have killed more people than bullets did. The shooter is alleged to be known and to have suicided. On a happier note, Trinette was over. She always makes my life better.

Liza Donnelly shares a cartoon of the Poopypants Pariah, and a statement from James Comey, who, though not blameless, I’m certain has not done anything indictable (You may have seen it. It’s had wide exposure.) And if you like baseball, you should check it out just for the baseball cartoons that finish it up.

I did know about the statue. Some of this other stuff I didn’t know, some I expected, some I didn’t. It’s a fairly comprehensive roundup.

I hope that I read this The Warning article long enough before my dinner to be able to keep it down. Not all my memories from Quantico ae happy ones – but even those which are less so are formative. The thought of Hegseth even setting foot there makes me nauseous.

Open Thread September 28 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 282025

Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Rigoletto.” I had to use that laptop again, and I suppose I might have skipped it – it’s not as if I’d never heard it – it was one of the first operas I ever owned on vinyl. But it is also the opera which got me my “A” in Advanced Conducting. I’m actually a terrible conductor. But there’s one scena in Rigoletto that I knew I stood a good chance of putting across, and put it across I did – mostly with my face – not even controlling it – the music and situation just gave me the expressions. Also, the part of Rigoletto yesterday was sung by Quinn Kelsey, who recently got such an outstanding review in this role, and even specifically in that scena, that I wanted to hear whether he deserved it. Did he? Oh, yeah. I have never heard a baritone put as much feeling into “Io vo’ mia figlia…” as he did. And I have heard some great baritones sing it. The most famous excerpt from Rigoletto, of course, is the aria “La donna e mobile,” which is pure projection, and, although the word in that sense did not exist in 1851, I’m confident Verdi knew it (the plot of the opera itself belies the aria’s words.) But it’s also catchy, and he knew that too – so catchy that he hid it from everyone including the tenor until the day of the premier, and essentially locked the cast and orchestra up until the show opened. Opera was then so popular that by the time one opened, the town in which it was opening knew every note. But not this time. This time the audience was surprised, and completely won over. And, as projectionist as it is, it’s not really a bad thing it’s so popular and well known – it gives the ending even more punch. Today’s cartoon is a gif file that was used by Wonkette, and you will see why the late Queen Elizabeth liked to be surrounded by corgis – they were her secret service. 🤣

Fat Bear week – Sorry that this is too late to vote for – not that I could tell you how anyway – but the winner won’t be announced until Tuesday, so there’s that.

I love stories like this one from Good News Network. You’ve heard of win-win, but this is more like win-win-win-win. The animals are benefited, as well as the inmates. But so is the prison staff, because inmates in these programs are easier to work with. And so is the entire community, because the recidivism rate goes down. Kudos to Ohio.

This is not news at all – it is Borowitz. But I think TomCat would have loved it. So here it is.

Open Thread September 27 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:58 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 272025

Yesterday, with the announcement of, among other things, a 100% tariff on pharmaceuticals, I think it’s time for me to share this article and the website it cites. I don’t use it myself because I don’t need to, on account of my HRA, which is tied to my keeping a Part D with a specific carrier, and which pays the premiums for it. An HRA is essentially free money, so I can’t really complain if they claw a little back – I still have a bundle left to use. But I’m sure most people don’t have HRAs. But I digress. I don’t use this but besides the original post (and I don’t think Mark Cuban is an idiot or a grifter), there are plenty of comments from people who do, and since I belong to DU and know how it works, I know these are all real people, real Democrats, just sharing what they know with like-minded people. Also, Tim Walz emailed that Mike Lindell (the pillow guy) is “taking steps” to run for governor of Minnesota. And Sinclair will be broadcasting Jimmy Kimmel again starting Friday.

I think I would have said “mobsters” before Gestapo myself. But really, is there even an English word for this level of evil?

I don’t really know what to say about this from Robert Reich. Except maybe, he’s right, you know. I’m actually less worried for myself than for those who go to and from work, shopping, or whatever. The danger appear to me mostly of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Much of the killing appears to be based on whims of the moment.

Heather Cox Richardson kind of sums up the week. If you get too depressed reading it, don’t stop, but do skip to the last couple of paragraphs. Hopefully, that should help.

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