Glenn Kirschner – Judge finally issues gag order/protective order, restricting Donald Trump’s speech and posts
The Lincoln Project – This Is Who He Is
Thom Hartmann – Mass Shooters: Ugly Truth About Pathetic Men Revealed By Former Psycho Therapist
Puppet Regime – Putin gets introspective
MAN vs ELEPHANT: Baby Elephant Plays with KBC Journalist
Beau – Let’s talk about Biden, the FBI, and Republican pursuits….
Yesterday, there was a “tornadic thunderstorm” in our general area. It was reported as 30-some miles north of Colorado Springs and moving north/northwest (I am just south of Colorado Springs’ southern city limit.) No threat to me, but I had not heard the term “tornadic thunderstorm” before. It’s quite evocative. Our summer thunderstorms often bring hail, and they mentioned quarter-sized hail (which is not going to break any windshields.) The Weather Service announcement didn’t say so, but, looking at Weather Underground, there may be more tomorrow. I tend to stay indoors anyway, and yesterdat was not (and today will not) be exceptions. Also, if you haven’t read aboout the Biden-McCarthy-Schumer-McConnel meeting and want to, Heather Cox Richardson has it covered.
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Stuff That Needs to Be Said – Teachers Are Superheroes
Quote (from the email) – Five years ago I wrote a blog post called Teachers are Superheroes. I spoke from a place of deep gratitude and awe for the teachers I see in action every day—in my community, and in the lives of my own children. I wrote about the challenges they face and the burdens they bear. Little did I know that five years later those burdens would be so much heavier and the threats to them so much more coordinated and serious.
Click through for original column from 2018. This is Teacher Appreciation Week. His explanatory email also provided ideas for concrete ways to support teachers IRL:
* Volunteer your time at local schools to take some of the burdens from overworked teachers.
* Donate supplies so teachers don’t have to use their personal resources in order to serve their students.
* Attend school board meetings and help offer dissenting voices to the increasingly incendiary Conservative presence there to intimidate.
* Vote in school board elections. Do your research and help elect candidates who are champions of public education and advocates for teachers.
* Publicly advocate for funding for teachers and their schools.
* Join or support local teacher organizations.
* Show gratitude to local teachers with cards, gift cards, movie tickets, and spa certificates.
* Spread awareness on social media to help people understand the threats and the adversity that teachers are experiencing.
* Form a parent advocacy group whose job it is to serve as a watchdog for school policies and practices that undermine teachers.
CPR News – We’re publishing a series about tobacco in Colorado. Here’s why
Quote – Tobacco is the number one cause of preventable and premature death in Colorado.
Read that again. Tobacco kills the most Coloradans. Not opioids, not guns, not car crashes — not even COVID-19. Every year, more than 5,000 people die because of their own habits. And yet, no one is talking about it. It’s rarely in the headlines.
Click through for the story. It’s not like we don’t have our share of guns – and it’s arguable that Columbine started it – and yet, tobacco is deadlier still. There’s a link to the first episode, which is already out. I’ve been remarkably lucky for a former smoker (of course I’ve been free for 47 years this month) but I’m well aware of the possible consequences.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – After saying he will testify in E. Jean Carroll trial, Donald Trump … punks out, fails to testify
The Lincoln Project – Proud Boys
Farron Balanced – Trump Rushes Back To New York As His Lawyer Botches Assault Trial
Shirley Serban – I’m So Critical (a song fpr Karens. Feel free to pause it to read the tweets.)
This Cat Is Obsessed With Her Lizard Brother
Beau – Let’s talk about two Senate plans for the debt ceiling….
Yesterday, I found out that ProPublica’s project on stillbirth (remember the first short take from last Friday) ia a finalist for this year’s Pulitzer Prize in explanatory reporting. I did say it was important, but even I didn’t grasp that it’s this important. Kudos to ProPublica, and may they win! Also, the Carroll II v. Trump** verdict came out – Guilty of Sexual Assault and Defamation, roughly $5 million in various damages, broken up into chunks as big as $1.7 million and as small as $20,000. And – oh, my, this didn’t take long – Care2 already has a petition up to put him on the national sex offender register (I would hope the New York State one as well.) And then, just to cap the day,the feds in New York have indicted George Santos. Don’t know for what yet – the indictment is still under seal – but whoopee! Joyce vance speculates here.
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The 19th – Just 37 members of Congress are mothers with minor children
Quote – The report found a number of barriers that stagnate mothers’ representation in office: unpredictable work hours, including votes during late nights and weekends; expectations for near constant fundraising, especially for first-time candidates; and cultural and political expectations that members’ children remain residents of their respective districts instead of moving to Washington, D.C., creating long commutes for members to see their children.
Click through for full article. The 19th is anticipating Mothers Day – as they should – with some reality. Yes, mothers of monir children are underrepresented – and some of the representation they do have is worthless (looking at you, Lauren.)
Daily Beast – ‘RWDS’: What the Patch Found on the Texas Gunman’s Chest Stands For
Quote – The suspected gunman, identified as a 33-year-old man named Mauricio Garcia, has no prior criminal record. But, according to FBI records obtained by Rolling Stone, his social media accounts contained “hundreds of postings and images to include writings with racially or ethnically motivated violent extremist rhetoric, including neo-Nazi materials and material espousing the supremacy of the white race.” The outlet also reported that Garcia may have had ties to a local neo-Nazi group
Click through for details. These people are not exactly calling themselves “pro-life.”
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump posts provable lies; prosecutors should seek gag order
The Lincoln Project – Trusted
Thom Hartmann – Presidents Who Were Traitors – You Won’t Believe Number Three (Note from JD – you will too believe #3. All of them. And you won’t ne surprised by any of them.)
Ring of Fire – Kevin McCarthy Made Secret Deal With Tucker Carlson To Become House Speaker
Watch This Dog’s Face Completely Transform
Beau – Let’s talk about Texas, training, and too much…. (Righteous rant. Hanky alert.)
Yesterday, as I usually do on Mondays, I slept even later tnan usual. When I got up, I did a few personal things, then turned to my email. and immediately saw that Grace Bumbry had died. I assure you thre are better ways to start a day. Of course, the loss of a diva (or a divo) whom I admired enough to buy vinyl of (and I was very picky when I was doing that) is just going to happen to me more and more. And, although she is gone, her achievements, including the trailblazing she did, remain and will continue to be built upon. But there sre still better ways to start a day. I did do the Name Drop, and it was someone I had heard of (it isn’t always), but I cetainly never would have known that from the first clue, as I had no idea he had served at the Battle of Lepanto, and on the way home been captured by pirates and held for five years, and the second clue was also obscure. But on the third clue I figured out the dude was from La Mancha (and it was the referenced musical which gave that away.) I’m really not a competetive person (except with myself – I always want to learn and improve) – and that’s why I’m drawn to Name Drop. I almost always learn something, even if it’s not terribly useful. And if Cervantes was a veteran of one of the most important conflicts in history, and a POW, so to speak, for 5 years, that deserves to be remembered.
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The 19th – Kimberlé Crenshaw’s work was cut from AP African American Studies. Now she’s fighting back
Quote – Crenshaw [led] the “Freedom to Learn” national day of action [last] Wednesday to protest rising censorship in schools. The day of demonstration includes rallies, book readings, teach-ins and live virtual events. The goal is to build a coalition — now including civil rights groups, Black Greek-letter organizations, the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association — that advocates for inclusive learning….. The “Freedom to Learn” national day of action stems from an open letter that scholars and their allies sent to the College Board, urging it to preserve the integrity of AP African American Studies by not eliminating from the course “divisive concepts” and works by academics including Crenshaw, Roderick Ferguson and the late bell hooks. In April, the College Board announced that it would make changes to AP African American Studies over the next few months, but it is uncertain if it will restore the pilot curriculum.
Click through for article and interview. On the one hand, if anyone should be for education without political bias, it’s the College Board. On the other hand, exactly because it’s a private organization, little can be done to force it to live up to standards, even its own.
Fox 31 – Stolen Colorado tiny house found at Kansas grain elevator
Quote – Hamilton County Sheriff Michael Wilson said the Colorado State Patrol notified his office Sunday evening to be on the lookout for a tiny house and that it was possibly headed toward Coolidge. It had been taken from a farm in Otero County, Colorado…. The sheriff said the men also allegedly had a stolen trailer and a Bobcat. He said the suspects are being held in jail on suspicion of possession of stolen property. The tiny house is valued at $9,000. The sheriff said the $33,000 Bobcat was stolen out of Castle Rock, Colorado, and the $25,000 trailer is from Florida.
Click through for details. Yes, this is from a Fox affiliate. But the keywords are “affliate” and “local.” One of the most maddening things about Fox, IMO, is that the affiliates generally have sound news departments with accurate local news. Unfortunately, this tends to validate all of Fox in weak minds.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – In a surprise turn, Bill Barr speaks the truth: says Trump’s “a horror show” & will “deliver chaos”
The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – May 2, 2023
Farron Balanced – Trump Lawyers Beg Judge Not To Muzzle Him
Armageddon Update – Skull Cracking The Debt Ceiling
Cuddly Rat Can’t Stop Giving His Cat Sister Hugs And Kisses
Beau – Let’s talk about Trump, charts, and a new line of inquiry….
Yesterday, before going to visit Virgil, I started to print my auto insurance ID card (since the new policy had begun 2 days earlier) and nothing was happening. I went to the control panel and also into the details in the print command, and all I can come up with is that my printer had somehow become diconnected and then reconnected itself, with the reconnection making a “copy” in the printer list. I retried, selecting the copy, and got the printout. I don’t know how this happened except that it must have happened within the last three weeks or so. I use the scanner function more than the print function, and the last time I used the scanner, about that long ago, it worked fine. In the process of figuring out what to do today I tried the scanner, and it did not respond until I selected the copy in the device list. If that’s all Greek to you, I apologize, but I’ve never had anything like this happen before, so I really don’t have the vocabulary for it. And I haven’t had time for a deep dive into the manual. I’m just glad I got the card printed in time. Virgil was in good spirits, and we played three games of Scrabble and a bit over. He returns all gretings, especially the lovely anniversary ones. I wore an older sweater because I know he likes it – before he was incarcerated and when he was helping put away laundry, I’d have to go searching for it in his closet – he never put it in mone (and he actually remembered that, when prompted.) As of Saturday, we are now officially getting 14 hours of sun each day, so it gets easier every time now up till midsummer, and will be nice and easy for some time after that. Of course, I’m still tired out.
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Robert Reich – King Charles III
Quote – The British monarchy is an archaic vestige of the country’s feudal past. Some argue that it should be dispensed with altogether. I’m in sympathy with this argument, but I wonder if it misses something…. Here in America, many of us romanticize our presidents and their families, at least at the start of an administration. Remember Camelot?… Because our presidents head the executive branch of the government, the two roles — the projected glamor and the political reality — often get confused, leaving us disappointed if not disgusted…. I’m not suggesting America have a royal family. It’s just that Britain’s infatuation with its own may have some social utility there that we Yanks don’t understand.
Click through for article (and click “Continue reading”). It’s not that long, it’s kind of different, and I think he’s on to something.
Daily Beast – How Bidenomics Has Finally Defeated Reaganomics
Quote – The last thing many of us expected when Joe Biden became president was that he would be a revolutionary. But just over two years into Biden’s presidency, there is no doubt that he has done more to dramatically transform U.S. policy and thinking in more areas than any of his predecessors since Franklin Roosevelt. America had failed to adequately invest in its infrastructure for over six decades when Biden made it a priority once again. Biden’s prioritized investment in combating climate change to a degree that no past administration ever did. On foreign policy, he executed the pivot away from a Middle East and terrorism focus to a long-term commitment to placing the Indo-Pacific region and our rivalry with China atop our list of priorities.
Click through for opinion – which seems wildly optimistic to me, but I certainly hope it’s on target. In a sane world it would be, but if we were living in a sane world, would we ever have attempted trickle-down in the first place?
Food For Thought
