Glenn Kirschner – ANOTHER Federal Judge calls out Donald Trump for being responsible for the insurrection!
The Lincolm Project – Republicans + Retirement
MSNBC – Police arrest disgruntled Republican candidate in connection with shootings in New Mexico
Farron Balanced – Former Staffer Says George Santos Is DEFINITELY Going To Jail
Mother Dog Reunited With Her Puppies All Grown Up
Beau – Let’s talk about default and the Constitution….
Yesterday, although also trying to catch up on some personal stuff, I did play the New Yorker’s “Name Drop” puzzle and actually got it on the third clue. While there, I looked at the Daily Cartoon. I’d love to peproduce it here, but it’s so good everyone is going to be all over it, so I’ll just link to it instead. Don’t miss it . and don’t miss Freya’s new Sound Off. Yes, it will be in the weekend email, but if you’re here, why not see it now?
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
PolitiZoom – Another Trump Ally, Michael Flynn, Now Suggests Biden Was Set Up
Quote – Saturday, I wrote abouttwo of Trump’s closest allies (Sean Hannityjob and Ronny Jackson, proposing, against all expectations, that Joe Biden, rather than being clumsy, negligent or incompetent in his handling of classified materials, that something more sinister is afloat… that Biden is being “set-up” – supposedly by his own people – to take a fall…. Well, now another traitor has been heard heard from, Gen. Michael Flynn, newly reinstated to Twitter by chaos agent Elon Musk on the 2nd anniversary of the Capitol riot, here weighing {and} pushing the same line as others close to Trump… that the President is being undermined by “others” in the White House.
Click through for details (and a lot of chatter.) There’s an old saying (which I am butchering, but it has multiple variations anyway): Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times looks like projection.
Crooks & Liars – Dad Arrested After Toddler Seen Playing With Loaded Gun On Live TV Show
Quote – All of this was captured on camera. A lot of people watched it Saturday night because Beech Grove police are featured on a show called “On Patrol: Live,” which airs on REELZ. A police report confirms officers recovered the weapon, a 9-millimeter handgun with 15 rounds in the magazine…. Osborne is due in court for his initial hearing Tuesday [rescheduled for Thursday] afternoon.
Click through for story. You know, back in the day, as recently as the 1970’s, the NRA stood for gun safety and responsibility. Today, they’ll probably file an amicus brief for this dad. Are there actually any responsible gun owners left?
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Republican representatives say, “smoke ’em if you got ’em,” reintroduce carcinogens into Congress
MSNBC – Why the stakes of the debt ceiling fight are so high
Thom Hartmann – Was The FBI Started To Stop Black Revolution?
Ring of Fire – Trump Wanted To Nuke North Korea And Blame Another Country
Friendly Stray Cat Gets An Uber Home
Beau – Let’s talk about Special Counsel updates….
Yesterday, I did get all the cartoons done for the rest of this month – although a couple of hthem are a little off. There’s one where I used a date for it which is not usually associated (the usual date is the date then news got out, but the one i used was the date of the initial discovery), and another where I used two related events which happened on the same day but more than a decade apart. Anywa, now it’s on to February.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Daily Beast – The Traitorous Spooks Helping Putin Crush Their Own People
Quote – As the volunteers were desperately trying to convince Alexander and his mother to leave, three men drove up to the courtyard on mopeds and started taking photos of our group with their phones. Immediately, Darren turned to us, looking genuinely fearful for the first time…. “I’ve spoken to the Ukrainian military about this, and they have specifically told us they have problems with guys on mopeds who will take photos and send them to pro-Russian forces,” Wilson later explained.
Click through for story. Every nation has some of these. Ours are called “far right.” It’s quite possible that every nation throughout human history has had some. And they are the real reason we can’t have nice things. We will never eliminate them completely – but we can do a whole lot better at restraining them. It starts by recognizing who they are – and who they aren’t.
NM Political Report – Proposed legislation would provide tax deduction for teachers
Quote – It is not just students’ parents who buy pencils, paper and protractors; teachers, many times, spend hundreds of dollars to keep their classrooms stocked for the school year. One proposed bill in this year’s legislative session seeks to help curb that expense.
Click through for details. It is, of course, not enough. But that’s no reason not to pass it. It’s a start.
Food For Thought
Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump’s desperate, unhinged social media posts make clear – he KNOWS indictments are coming!
Meidas Touch – Former Trump Aide Bannon pulls SNEAKY STUNT in criminal trial [not exactly pithy]
Farron Balanced – House Republicans Tear Each Other Apart Over Document That Doesn’t Exist
Really American – Chip Franklin EXPOSES Conservatives as being government-loving LIARS
World’s Most Adorable Badger
Beau – Let’s talk about Santos, McCarthy, and the new chapter….
Yesterday, I looked at my cartoon calendar, and said to myself, “Well, shoot – I really have to seriously get down to making cartoons for the rest of the month – I need nine and the first one I need tomorrow (the 18th).” Also – I know people here disdain Chuck Todd, and with good reason, but he appears to have actually stood up to Sen. Ron Johnson. Stece Schmidt was the first one to say it, and now PolitiZoom is on it too. I don’t know what could have happened to bring it aout – but it’s welcome. If Chuck Todd can grow a spine, I would think almost anyone could.
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Short Takes –
The Conversation – How the distortion of Martin Luther King Jr.‘s words enables more, not less, racial division within American society
Quote – Even after Reagan finally signed the King holiday into law in 1983, he would write letters of assurance to angry political allies that only a selective version of King would be commemorated. That version was free of not only the racial politics that shaped the civil rights movement but also of the vision of systemic change that King envisioned. In addition, Reagan’s version left out the views that King held against the Vietnam War. Instead, the GOP’s sanitized version only comprises King’s vision of a colorblind society – at the expense of the deep, systemic change that King believed was needed to achieve a society in which character was more important than race.
Click through for essay. Certainly this isn’t (or shouldn’t be) a sirprise. If so-called Christians with their “Prosperity Gospel” can distor the words and actions of Jesus to justify their crimes, clearly MLK would not be immune. But it’s definitely sad – and dangerous.
The Nib – Martin Luther King, Jr. Was More Radical Than You Think
Quote: 
Click through for full article. Graphics, or any type of visual, can, I think, help to clarifythings that are complicated. This may not be an artice you need – but it may be handy to pass on.
Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance – The Week Ahead
Quote – The past couple of weeks have been intense and draining. It’s clear things won’t ease up as we head into this week. But it’s impossible to live at this level of intensity on an ongoing basis, so if you’re like me, you probably need to ease back off the gas pedal a little. We’ll hit the high points this week but try to have a bit of fun too. We all need the sanity break.
Click through. Despite the intro, she doesn’t let us completely off the hook. She addresses MLK Day in Alabama and also the two Special Counsels.
Food For Thought
One way people try to show that they are open-minded is to let both sides of an issue have a say. However, sometimes both sides don’t need to have air time. Some debates are better when both – or all, in case there is really more than one point of view – sides get a fair hearing. On the other hand, sometimes one side is clearly in the right and the other clearly in the wrong. Only wisdom and careful examination will reveal which sides deserve respect.
Consider slavery. Do you think that those who defend this “peculiar institution” really deserve a say? If you have a grain if humanity in you, then you agree that no person deserves to be chattel. Everybody deserves to be paid for work, and paid a living wage.
Or how about whether Earth is round or flat? There is no question our planet is round, though not a perfect sphere. The ancient Greeks established our world’s roundness, and their calculations of its size came within a few percentage points of the truth. Irrefutable evidence abounds that Earth is round. I could write a long essay detailing much of the proof, as well as shredding many arguments in favor of a flat planet. The 3D shape of this planet cannot be disputed.
Liberals tend to let those who disagree with them have a say. I say tend to because they are not always as tolerant as they claim to be. Then again, tolerance must have limits. Do we really need to tolerate racism, LGBTQ-phobia, anti-semitism, sexism, willful ignorance? Do we really have to tolerate those who advocate violence against those who disagree with them?
Minds are indeed like parachutes – they function only when open, but if they are too far open the wind blows right through. Both sides of a dispute do not always need a fair hearing, if one side is unquestionably unethical, hateful, ignorant or immoral. Some views really do not need to be tolerated.
Glenn Kirschner – Two issues: Will Trump’s federal tax crimes be prosecuted? Will Republican Special Counsel be fair?
The Lincoln Project – Kingmaker
Liberal Redneck – Republican Projection
The Riccardis – Jack Smith Baby
These two go together
Rescuing an Emaciated Kitten, Small Fry, and her family
Small Fry, Emaciated Kitten – 1 Week Update!
Beau – Let’s talk about Biden and classified documents….