Open Thread February 23 2026

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 232026
 

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. As usual, we had a mixture of hands. He was having more difficulty counting his hands than he had been lately. (Also, this week he had another of those vivid dreams in which his first wife phoned him and was reading him the riot act about something, and he had completely forgotten that this cannot happens. The only phones he is allowed to use do not have incoming numbers – they can only be used to call out. Prior to this week he had been remembering that. But either the dream scared the memory out of him – or he just forgot it and that enabled the dream to form. But we had a good time and enjoyed each others’/ company. I was able to stay until visitation ended today, since subset was not until 5:45. The drive was easy both ways this trip. The meme at bottom was created by Joyce Vance, who gives permission to anyone to share it widely with no alteration.

In The Public Interest addresses school vouchers. Y’all already know what I think about vouchers – they are like saying “I don’t like the city parks. I want my kids to play at the Country Club, so they won’t have to play with those people. So I want the city to pay my club dues.”

So the Ginger Grifter’s tariffs are illegal and, per SCOTUS, must stop. So the Ginger Grifter has announced he is increasing tariffs to 15%. Shades of Worcester v. Georgia.

Certainly Neil Gorsuch is a far, far, far right jurist. But every once in a while he has the right idea and does the right thing. We all know it’s “damn seldom.” But he is fairly consistently respectful of Native Americans, and of the (broken) treaties the US government has made with them. Sometimes even more respectful than liberal justices. That is why, although I really, really want a strong liberal majority on the Court, I would not mind if he were to be one member of a minority of 2 or 3 – or maybe even 4. Certainly his views on pretty much everything else terrify me.

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Open Thread February 22 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 222026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Manon Lescaut” by Puccini – his first big hit, actually. I always struggle not to laugh when she ends up dying in “the deserts of Louisiana”, but – since it’s set in the 18th century, when French-owned Louisiana stretched much farther west even than the Louisiana Purchase – it’s not nearly as silly as it sounds today. This performance was chosen by soprano Asmik Grigorian, a big fan of Mirella Freni (who was born in the same tiny little town where Luciano Pavarotti was born – there must have been something in the water.) Off to see Virgil now – will check in upon return..

This is kind of sweet. (You will likely need to unmute it)

It always warms my heart to see Joe Biden get any credit at all. He deserves so much better.

I do realize some people have difficulty with bats – and that most people are not aware how much bats do for the environment. But how can anyone not find flying foxes adorable?

Rocky Mountain Mike

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Open Thread February 21 2026

 Posted by at 5:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 212026
 

Yesterday, SCOTUS dropped its decision that tariffs are illegal and must be refunded (don’t get excited – the refunds will go to whatever importers paid them first, and anything past that depends on good will.) The decision was 6-3, with Roberts, Gorsuch, and Barrett joining the liberals. Also, I watched a Substack video with Mary Trump, Joyce, and Katie Phang, which they began by sharing their coffee cups. Mary Trump was using one from her merch – on one side it says “Mary Trump Media” and on the other “Where Fake News Goes To Die.” I had to smile. And yes, all three takes today are from CPR. First time I’ve ever seen it quite so hot.

This was reported by Colorado Public Radio, although the lawsuit is significant everywhere and the trial is happening in California, because a mother in Colorado is one of the plaintiffs

This one was reported by CPR because it’s very Colorado. I’ve been hoping for this for a while now.

This story, both Colorado and national, is longer than it looks at first. It isn’t over until you get to “Related coverage.”

tariffs

Cat

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Open Thread February 20 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 202026
 

Yesterday, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was arrested for (insider financial) misconduct in office. This may be the most spectacular news out of the UK since Charles I was beheaded. This link is to a video lasting over an hour, but scroll down and you can get some details about what’s happening and will happen. Not all the details which make the whole thing so inspiring to listen to, but some. The irony that a constitutional monarchy appears better able to deal with a rogue in the (family) government than we do is not lost on Adam or Vicky or me. But the key to this ability is not the monarchy or the lack of it, but the Constitution – and respect for it – or the lack thereof. Also, next week, possibly as early as Monday, the Senate will vote on the Boundary Waters permission to mine, and, if it passes, these waters, which by the way Canada also borders, will be turned into literal battery acid. And every other state will, in time, suffer similar losses of public lands. The linked video is long, but it is “from the horse’s mouth” since it features Senator Tina Smith of Minnesota.

Another win for the rule of law. The law in question is late – and yes, justice delayed is justice denied – but it’s still better then never.

Law Day here is not until May 1 (as the rest of the world celebrates Labor Day.) But it appears we are having our own little law day here.

https://www.cpr.org/2026/02/16/fire-storm-and-avalanche-concerns-all-at-once-weird-weather-week-ahead-in-colorado/
From Monday, reminding me of the quip attributed to Mark Twain that “Everypne talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” Well, yes, Mr. Clemens. And that’s exactly why we are here.

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Open Thread February 19 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 192026
 

A couple of days ago, the event map for the No Kings demonstration planned for March 28 was posted.

Archived from The Lever – Yes, it’s a “We told you so,” but sadly it’s right on. If only the US would vote for a woman – we’d have our candidate. But they won’t – and they will not be ready to do so by 2028

Also archived from The Lever, this one is in regard to pedophile protectors – this time at Deutsche Bank. (They are also money launderers, BTW).

This is a short (9½ minutes) excerpt from a much longer video. I think we have all already figure out the point she makes about the evil elite. But what she says about why James Talarico terrifies the regime so much was news to me. And, I think, important. (It’s about 15 minutes if you didn’t see it and want to.)

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Open Thread February 18 2026

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

Yesterday, Jesse Jackson died. It grieves me how many civil rights heroes we have lost and are losing – and we need them so badly. We do have new young heroes coming up, but they are still building their platforms. How can we help? We need every one of them. Robert Reich quoted Jackson’s speech to the 1988 Dem Convention in full. At least I found out what I am going to do to escape the SOTU next week. See the not-a-cartoon below. Check ut qqq.defiance.org if you’re interested.

Well, we haven’t invaded Greenland – yet – but a power failure there made everyone there think we were, and scared the crap out of them. I gather there were no casualties, but people with heart conditions have died from less.

This definitely scares me. Secretaries of State are the ones who make the decisions and policies about how elections are run statewide. County Clerks are often the ones who supervise the “judges” who do the actual work (in heavily populated counties there will likely be a dedicated employee of the County Clerk who does this.) And those judges – there must be as close to an equal number of blue ones and red ones as possible. Because if any of them so much as has to go to the bathroom, she or he must be accompanied by a judge from the other party. In June, I will have lived in Colorado for 50 years, and it has not been blue for all of them. I have worked with clerks and clerks from both parties, and the one thing they had in common was following the rules to the letter. Going forward, I don’t know what to expect.

More on Epstein from dekleptocracy. It includes quotes from The Guardian, so I assume Lona is already aware. (Barf bag alert)

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Open Thread February 17 2026

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 172026
 

Yesterday, I checked in on line for my lab appointment I had to postpone from last week. This is not the best weather for dressing so that one’s veins can easily be reached, so I’ll need a jacket or a coat – or maybe a poncho is the best idea. But it could be worse. I tried to get a solid head start on tomorrow’s post, so if it’s a trifle dated, that would be why. (Also, did you ever expect to see a political cartoon whose entire caption is a classic poem by an American who would later be the Poet Laureate of the US? It also happens to be one of my all-time favorites by anyone.)

When you read this headline, you may think it is satirical. It isn’t. It may or may not be true, but it isn’t satire. He seriously claims it.

This is handy. Do you suppose any Republicans might learn from it that some rules actually do reply to them? (I doubt it.)

This is a heartfelt piece of writing. Don’t think that the video at the top is a long one – it’s only 29 seconds and is just an illustration.  It is the second video which is a minute, and there’s a photo. The video at the end, however, is a real song (JoJo uses popular music the way I use animal rescues.) You may have heard it before. And there is one more picture still below it.

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Open Thread February 16 2026

 Posted by at 5:50 am  Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 162026
 

May I say something about the partial government shutdown which i don’t think is getting enough attention? Congress voted to provide zero funding for DHS in this fiscal year. But it did not vote to rescind any funds already allocated in the big brutal bill, and that bill includes a huge slush fund for ICE (and I think but am not certain also for CBP) – enough to fund them through September 2029, I have heard. So they are not shut down – but the rest of DHS is. The rest of DHS includes FEMA, the Coast Guard, and more – good stuff. I’m not trying to say the shutdown didn’t need to be done – it did, and it may need to continue – it’s a serious bargaining chip. But it isn’t an instant solution to anything. Y’all are smart and may well know all of this. But I guarantee there are a lot of people out there who need to know it and don’t.,

No one needs me to tell them that this is outrageous. It is and/or will be clear to every one who hears about it. Unfortunately, these days, if there’s an outrage, it must be a day that ends in “y”.

This is a story which was featured at the Philadelphia Independence National Historic Park near Independence Hall. Naturally, it was dismantled by our fascist regime. It doesn’t mean that Washington was a jerk who deserves no honor – that would be false. It does mean that Washington was a human being and therefore not perfect, and that he was a child of the era into which he was born. But, to fascists, that’s blasphemy, I guess.

Dog

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