Politics – Page 273 – Politics Plus

Open Thread 7/22/2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:16 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 222022

Yesterday, reading Heather Cox Richardson’s “Letter” from the 20th, my eyebrows went up when Iread that 100 million Americans were under heat warnings – my thought was, “Dear God, that’s a third of the country!” I think we actually have 330 million people, so that was a slight exaggeration – but still – that’s, shall we say, impressive. of course I also watched the hearing, but that was late enough that I won’t discuss it here. I will eventually of course.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – Is it time for Democrats to kick Joe Manchin out of the party?
Quote – In fact, the way things are right now, Biden and the Democrats have the worst of both worlds. They look like they control the Senate, as well as the House and the presidency. But they can’t get a damn thing done because Manchin (and his intermittent sidekick Arizona’s Kyrsten Sinema) won’t let them. So after almost two years of appearing to run the entire government, Democrats have accomplished almost nothing of what they came to Washington to do…. By kicking Manchin out of the party, Democrats could at least go into the midterms with a more realistic pitch: “It looked like we had control of the Senate, but we didn’t. Now that you know who the real Democrats are, give us the power and we will get it done.”
Click through for argument. I won’t say he sold me, but he did get me to seriously consider it.
Update: I don’t bug Mitch too much (on top of other issues he’s having surprise cataract surgery next week) but he sent out a Daily Kos article on Manchin, so I sent him this one. His response: “Biden needs to get out on the hustings and PUSH for more Dem. senators…PUSH LOUDLY! If Manchin, and Sinema can be made virtually irrelevant, we might then be able to rejoin the rest of the western democracies.”

The Daily Beast – Liberal Panic Could Help Trump Steal the Next Election
Quote – As both a critic of the theory being advanced in Moore and an advocate of urgently needed reforms to avoid another presidential election crisis, I feel it is important to set the record straight. In defending democracy against the very real threat of Trump-style subversion, we must get the details right. Crucially, we need to be able to distinguish serious conservative legal scholarship and arguments, even when they are wrong, from worst-case scenarios based on fringe crank theories and total lawlessness. The current majority on the Supreme Court might endorse the former, but we should not concede the latter by falsely conflating the two.
Click through for full analysis. Personally, I think the author vastly underestimates the determination and the ingenuity of the criminal GOP. I think this case is more like the head, shoulders, and hump of the camel in the tent. And I don’t see how liberal panic would help Trump** – the more panicked we are, the more likely we are to vote. But I thought (and think) readers here are perfectly capable of drawing their own conclusions, and I though this should be seen.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 7/21/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:41 am Open Thread, Politics

Jul 212022

Glenn Kirschner – Day 1 of Steve Bannon’s contempt of Congress trial: jury selection. Many jurors voice their disdain

Meidas Touch – (NSFW) Texas Paul REACTS to Republican Obsession with TRAITORS

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party July 19

Robert Reich – Why Joe Manchin is Wrong About Inflation and Why We Need a Windfall Profits Tax

Puppet Regime – The Newsletter the PUPPET REGIME Wants You To Read

Beau – Let’s talk about systemic failures in Uvalde….

Open Thread July 21, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:18 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 212022

Yesterday, I overslept, but it was pretty quiet so I could afford that lost time, and even manage to write a “thank you” note to an old friend from the military for a book that there is no way my eyes and shoulders will allow me to read – and I like and respect her too much to lie to her. So that was tough.. But the news – I do try to limit the outrage in the short takes and feature good news when there is some. Today there is mostly outrage. Take a deep breath and try not to get depressed.

Cartoon – 21 0721Cartoon.jpg

Short Takes –

The 19th – How exposure to toxic chemicals in everyday products can impact reproductive health
Quote – PFAS is a developmental carcinogen. We have done a systematic review, which is the best practice for how to evaluate evidence, showing that PFOA [part of the larger group of man-made chemicals known as PFAS] can, through prenatal exposure, increase the risk of low birth weight [in] babies. It also looks like it could be related to maternal health effects; there is some evidence on preeclampsia and on gestational diabetes. It could influence fertility. BPA is an endocrine disruptor that can influence estrogen levels. So in the state of California they have labeled it a reproductive toxin based on its effects on the female ovary. But, you know, there’s also been studies on metabolic disease like obesity and diabetes and on neurodevelopmental effects. There’s been studies looking at effects on fertility. There’s a number of different animal and human studies showing that it affects reproductive function, and it’s shown in animal studies to affect the quality of the eggs in the ovary.
Click through for details. So what the article is saying is, the same white, wealthy, overwhelmingly male minority repomsible for imposing unpopular abortion bans is also responsible for saturating women (and men and children) with chemicals that make abortions more likely to be the only alternative to death. Got it.

NM Political Report – ‘Is your land for sale?’ Alarming offers to buy property in the burn zone
Quote – April Hoogerhuies got the phone call in the middle of packing up her home in Las Vegas, frantically trying to get things ready in case the Hermits Peak/Calf Canyon inferno forced her to evacuate. “Is your land for sale?” the caller inquired…. “This isn’t the time or place for this,” she replied. The caller rattled off a company name too quickly to note, but it was clear she wanted to buy a plot of undeveloped property that Hoogerhuies and her husband Daniel own in Manuelitas, just east of Hermits Peak. The couple maintains a greenhouse on the land, where they plant crops like pumpkins, radishes and tomatoes. Hoogerhuies was in a frenzy, packing up papers and medications while also trying to find a place for her elderly parents, in case they, too, needed to evacuate.
Click through for story. The race to the bottom continues.You know – yu just know – that if the vultures make enough calls, they will find someone who is willing to sell – and that that seller will be the person who can least afford to be swinf=dled. (And that there won’t be just one.)

Food For Thought

Video Thread 7/20/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:59 am Open Thread, Politics

Jul 202022

Glenn – Steve Bannon’s Trial to begin: he promises to go “medieval”; he’s more likely to go out w/a whimper

Meidas Touch – Navy Vet Ken Harbaugh CALLS OUT fake patriotism of Jan. 6 rioters (Ken is the dude who went to school with Greitens)

The Lincoln Project – Texas Power

Ring of Fire – Steve Bannon’s Own Podcast Declares Him Guilty As Trial Begins

Armageddon Update – To Protect and Sanitize

Beau – Let’s talk about Republican judges disagreeing with Trump…

Open Thread July 20, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:16 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 202022

Yesterday, I received a grocery order. And two packages. At the same time. (Fortunately both packages were small.) I managed to get it all in but not all put away – just the perishables. And I feel like I’ve done a full day’s work and them some. Oh well, it’s supposed to be a little cooler today

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

CPR News – A small southeastern Colorado town’s 3-person police force all abruptly quit
Quote – In a press release posted to the county sheriff’s Facebook page on Friday, the [Baca County Sheriff’s] office announced they would be stepping up temporarily to police Springfield after reaching a unanimous agreement with the city and Baca County Commissioners on Thursday. In addition to Springfield Police Chief Katrina Martin, the SPD had two officers on staff and one vacant Animal Control Officer position, according to the department’s website. One SPD resignation became effective Wednesday and the other two will be effective on Saturday, the sheriff’s office said.
Click through for story. It’s unlikely that this would happen in a town with a department larger than 3 (plus one vacancy) – not that there aren’t places we might wish it would. There were three hundred and seventy-six officers standing outside Robb Elementary in Uvalde (granted, a mix of city, county, state, and federal). That is 76 more than Spartan soldiers at the Battle of Marathon. And 370 more than flag raisers at Iwo Jima.

Democratic Underground (kentuck) – Why Trump called off his mob at 4:17 pm?
Quote – He was not talked into it. He did not do it because he thought it was the right thing to do. He had gotten a message that Mike Pence had usurped his authority and called out the National Guard to “clear the Capitol”. He did not have the people or the weapons in place to defeat the National Guard. His plan was to declare “martial law”.
Click through for full speculation – it is only speculation – no sources are provided. Some known facts are included, and the remarks on motivation may be accurate – or not. We don’t know. The most I can say is that the chain of reasoning appears consistent with his behavior and with motivations which are known.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 7/19/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:00 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jul 192022

Glenn Kirschner- Lindsey Graham desperate to avoid testifying about Trump’s Georgia election crimes

Meidas Touch – Angry Tennessee Brando gives EPIC REACTION to Jan 6 Hearings

CBS News – Jan. 6 committee member Rep. Adam Schiff expresses concern over witness safety

White Supremacy (A Rebuttal) | Christopher Titus | Zero Side Effects

John Fugelsang “Caffeinated” – The US Has a Joe Manchin & Krysten Sinema Problem. Here is a Solution for you Biden! (a re-re;ease – but still accurate)

Beau – Let’s talk about benefits and Republicans telling you who they are….

Open Thread July 19, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:51 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 192022

Yesterday, I slept in so got a late start – but woke up thinking “Ah – special days are nice but it’s good to sink back into routine.”There was also lots of news – nothing huge, but interesting. I even found a couple of soties to far out I might want to do a “News of the Weird” post (unless Nameless wants them forst.) On Thursday, a new public hearing is expected, and I do look forward to one that I won’t have to juggle. I also think we can expect that it wont be the lastone. Some of the additional evidence is going to be (well, if they spoke up, I guess I can too,) but some is going to be (OMG, I thought for sure someone would have reported that, I thought there were dozens of us who knew,” and that is going to be special. BTW, don’t miss Nameless post yesterday.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Carol Leonnig Drops Small Grenade About Secret Service Records
Quote – “I learned about an episode that has never really been reported, in which a series of boxes, and only the boxes that contained the juicy bits, so to speak, disappeared from the Secret Service archives at the same time then a committee that replaced the Warren Commission, if you will, a committee of Congress was investigating a series of reports the Secret Service agents and headquarters had received numerous warnings and early red flags that Kennedy was being targeted by people who wanted to shoot him from a high spot in a building,” she said.
Click through – it’s short – certainly thought provoking.

Letters from an American – July 17, 2022
Quote – Shaw and his men had shipped out of Boston at the end of May 1863 for Beaufort, South Carolina, where the Union had gained an early foothold in its war to prevent the Confederates from dismembering the country. The men of the 54th knew they were not like other soldiers: they were symbols of how well Black men would fight for their country. This, in turn, would be a statement of whether Black men could truly be equal to white men under the country’s laws, once and for all, for in this era, fighting for the country gave men a key claim to citizenship. The whole country was watching…and the soldiers knew it.
Click through for full story – which is also the basis for the movie “Glory.” Not that I’ve seen it, but the musical score is a favorite of people who make radio shows arounf film music, and I’vs heard the music a lot. And occsionally a quote. One quote, attributed to Shaw’s father, always cokes me up – “My God! What a bodyguard he has!” Yes, it smacks of privilege, but it’s also a tribute.

Food For Thought

Only One More Supermoon Left for 2022 …

Posted by SoINeedAName at 3:08 pm Politics

Jul 182022

If you were lucky enough to be treated to clear skies last Wednesday, you were able to enjoy the third Supermoon of the year – the “Buck Moon”.

by AZP

What Is A “Supermoon”?

Although there are several technical definitions of what constitutes a Supermoon, the most widely accepted one is a full or new moon that is near the perigee (point in the Moon’s orbit where it is closest to Earth). The term “Supermoon” was coined by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979 and stipulates the Moon must be within 90% of perigee.

Although the distance parameters would include new moons, since new moons are virtually invisible to the naked eye we tend to use the term only for full moons.

For 2022 there will be four Supermoons – with only one remaining:

*Supermoons in 2022*
Name	Date	Distance from Earth
Full Flower Moon	May 16 at 12:15 A.M. EDT	225,015.3 miles (362,127 km)
Full Strawberry Moon	June 14 at 7:52 A.M. EDT	222,238.4 miles (357,658 km)
Full Buck Moon	July 13 at 2:38 P.M. EDT	222,089.3 miles (357,418 km)
Full Sturgeon Moon	August 11 at 9:36 P.M. EDT	224,569.1 miles (361,409 km)

What Is a Supermoon? | When to See Supermoons in 2022 | The Old Farmer’s Almanac

by AFP

Why Do Supermoons Occur?

Two astronomical phenomena explain why Supermoons occur.

Foremost is the fact that the moon does not travel in a perfect circular orbit around the Earth. Rather, it travels in an elliptical path.

The other contributing factor is that our Earth does not sit in the smackdab center of this orbit. So consequently, there are points when the moon is closest to the Earth (Perigee), and others when it’s furthest away (Apogee).

So Why Is the July Supermoon Called the “Buck Moon”?

Like many, if not most, of our Supermoons, the Buck Moon was so named by Native Americans. This time of year is when the new antlers of buck deer begin pushing out of their foreheads, covered in the usual velvety fur that’s loaded with blood vessels. (This extraordinary supply of nutrients in the velvet makes deer antlers the fastest growing tissue of any mammal.)

But it is also called the “Thunder Moon” because of so many frequent thunderstorms at this time of year. And in Europe it’s commonly called the “Hay Moon”, because it’s the time of year when farmers start making hay.

So let’s enjoy some Supermoons from near and far.

The Americas