Yesterday, I finished that last new cartoon for June, which is for the 28th. It kind of got me thinking. Some of us have probably heard about the “Habsburg jaw,” which this Habsburg certainly had, and the beard didn’t do much to hide it. These days I see a lot of jokes about moronic and generally poor MAGAts who perhaps result from inbreeding – but historicall, all the way back to ancient Egypt, it was not the poor butthe wealthy who famously inbred (presumably under theimpression that no one but others in their class were good enough for them.) Tutankhamen for instance – his mummy has been examined and by modern specialists, who indicate he had so many deformities he may never have had a pain free day in his short life. In Eurpoe, not only the Habsburg jaw but the Russian royal family’s hemophilia came from inbreeding. Of course it sometimes occurred among the poor as well, particularly if there were some reason which required them to live in isolation, such as the Sawney Bean case in Scotland – that family was anything but rich (although modern Scots with the surname Bean are thoughy to be descendants of MacBeth, so go figure.) I also have established my list to make a record for July of which cartoons from 2014 I can reuse and which I can’t. I haven’t started that actual reviewing yet, and I won’t start this week fur sure, but when I am ready, I’m prepared.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Daily Beast – This QAnon Leader Could Control Key Elections in 2024
Quote – While the 65-year-old Willott remains all but unknown outside of QAnon, he’s a figure with growing influence in both the conspiracy-theory universe and the broader conservative movement. Along the way, many of Willott’s supporters have come to believe he’s John F. Kennedy Jr. in disguise. He’s also befriended Q-friendly celebrities, including comedian Roseanne Barr and The Passion of the Christ star Jim Caviezel…. Despite his growing influence, almost nothing has been reported about Willott’s background. The Daily Beast has amassed the most extensive reporting on Willott yet, from his background as a second-rate investigator looking into Bill Clinton in the 1990s to his reinvention as the cosmopolitan secret agent Juan O. Savin, to his new role as a power broker on the far right. Click through for more than you will find anywhere else… stuff we probably ought to be aware of.
Politico – ‘It’s going to be an army’: Tapes reveal GOP plan to contest elections
Quote – The plan, as outlined by a Republican National Committee staffer in Michigan, includes utilizing rules designed to provide political balance among poll workers to install party-trained volunteers prepared to challenge voters at Democratic-majority polling places, developing a website to connect those workers to local lawyers and establishing a network of party-friendly district attorneys who could intervene to block vote counts at certain precincts. Click through for story. I’m aware Politico is considered to be right leaning. But they seem to publish a lot of stuff one would think the right would not want us to know
Democratic Underground – The Party of the Brave
Quote – Republicans are more afraid of a teenaged boy wearing mascara than a teenaged boy buying an AK-15….
They are more afraid of losing their ‘white privilege’ than they are of losing their country….
They are more afraid of being called-out by Sean Hannity than they are of being called-up by the January 6 Committee. Click through for full post. Nance Greggs is a community member at DU, but is highly respected aby other members, and this post may suggest why.
Yesterday, I got an email from WellRed Comedy. That’s not terribly unusual,since I get emails on their tours But this one was about a new series which I had seen a little of on Trae’s channel but which now has its own channel, which they call “Puttin on Airs.” I had seen a couple on Trae’s channel, but the new channel (which has videos and clips ranging from under a minute to over an hour) puts them together in a way which – shall I say – makes them ore coherent. I may be able to use some in the Video Thread (not that I’m ready to just yet. I do suspect looking at, for instance, Marie Antoinette and Henry VII through Trae’s and Corey’s eyes may well be worth a look see.
Also, I have to admit that that tiny little patch, smaller than a postage stamp, actually stayed in place overnight. Amazing.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
No More Mister Nice Blog – MAYBE THE COMMENTARIAT SHOULD TRY LEARNING SOME BASIC FACTS
Quote – I’m pleased that he recognizes the uniquely American nature of this sick fetishization. But how can he not “fully understand the message”? This ad shows a little kid fondling an assault weapon under a Bible verse (Proverbs 22:6) because — as is obvious to anyone who’s paid a reasonable amount of attention to U.S. conservatism in recent years — right-wing Americans don’t just believe they have an unlimited right to bear arms, they believe that this right was given to Americans by God. Click through for full blog. I don’t know what the answer is. I am coming around to the idea that, since “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people,” we should concentrate on regulating gun owners before trying unsuccessfully to get rid of the guns, and also that a big part of that should be getting ANY guns out of the hands of domestic violence perps and animal abusers who are provably associated with way more than their share of incidents.) This also may not work, but at least it is in line with their own rhetoric, and not just ours.
Daily Kos (Walter Einenkel) – Qronicles of Anon: It’s all about saving the children—until actual children are killed
Quote – This has been a hard week in America. They’re all hard weeks, but this one was particularly difficult. It was a glaring reminder of the violent cost of our country’s obsession with guns and weapons, and how conspiracy theories like QAnon help feed the paranoia that’s necessary to believe everybody should own an assault rifle. The fact that the QAnon world, not unlike its Republican leadership, hides behind children while allowing their actions and inaction to end in dead children as collateral damage is breathtaking and gut-punching all at the same time. Click through – the article doesn’t so much develop the headline; instead, it rounds up all kinds of QAnon insanity surfacing.
Raw Story – Pope Francis sends ‘powerful message’ by elevating liberal Bishop over Archbishop who banned Pelosi from communion
Quote – “The choice of Bishop McElroy is the biggest surprise of this consistory [the council of cardinals] for the church in the United States,” reports the Jesuit publication America. “A graduate of Harvard, Stanford and the Pontifical Gregorian University, Bishop McElroy has demonstrated that he is one of the strongest supporters of the pope’s vision of church among the American bishops since Francis appointed him to be bishop of San Diego in March 2015. By choosing him to be a cardinal, instead of others, Pope Francis is sending a powerful message to the American bishops and church.” Click through for details. So many of the humorous things we see are just pure idiocy (like “gazpacho police”); our laughter diesn’t affect them, and the stories lead nowhere. This is a story I can laugh at and treasure – because accountability.
Yesterday, I did more work on a physical conditin I haven’t yet mentioned – a wart. I’m sure part of my problem is that it must have taken me the=ree yers to igure out it was a wart. Hey, it’s right a at the end of my elbow. Have you ever tried to look at the end of your elbow? Even without shoulder issues, I doubt I could have seen it without a mirror, preferably a magnifying miirror. All that time I thought it was a callus.Anyway, it is somewhere in diameter between a penny and a dime. the normal wart remover applications which come with pre-medicated strips that look like bandaiuds have a medicated area the diameter of an aspirin. I’m using those – trying to move them around to cover different parts – but I’ alternating that with other things. Today I received my order of gel and am using that. It has been impossible to keep the other strips in place for 48 hours (the recommended time frame – I doubt the tiny patches which come with the gel will last any longer, if so long. They’s be foe for an aspirin sized wart. I think they might cover mine if I could ut them on with a mocrometer. Maybe duct tape might help – allthough it didn’t much with the original strips. I suppose I should get some cheese to go with this whine.
Crooks and Liars – Audience Mocks Boebert Relentlessly At Primary Debate
Quote – Coram is challenging Boebert for her Congressional seat, positioning himself as a rational Republican (I know, I know, but his site and the media he shares really does suggest he’d be more of a friend to Democrats than Joe Manchin is,) and Bobo actually shows up to debate him. Speaking a mile-a-minute (from notes, which was prohibited by the debate rules,) she sounds like an unprepared 6th-grader making up lies about a girl she’s trying to beat out for a date with the dodgeball king Click through for one-liners (and video.) There used to be some rational Republicans in Colorado, so maybe there still is one. I don’t know how heavily the new district is rated Republican, but I certainly would hope Coram wins the primary, and maybe some of those atendees are Democrats feeling the same way. And if so, I would certainly forgive them for ratf***ing the primary.
The Mountain Ear – Carousel of Happiness: A history of making smiles
Quote – After rescuing the empty frame of the Looff carousel, [Scott] Harrison immediately began hand-carving wooden animals to help bring the carousel back to life. Harrison still carves to this day, and has created more than 50 unique animals for his vision, each with a story and a deeper meaning to their creator. Once the Carousel of Happiness (COH) was completely restored Harrison created a non-profit organization and, with help from the Nederland community, raised the $700,000 needed to build the carousel its permanent home on 20 Lakeview Drive. Click through for a little joy in a sorrowful time. Harrison is a Vietnam veteran, so this story is not completely off topic. (Closeups of the animals can be found here.)
One of our nation’s most recognizable melodies is the haunting 24-note tune that’s traditionally played at military funerals, flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremonies known as Taps.
Today, Memorial Day, CBS marks the third year of inviting musicians of all ages, abilities and instruments to join in the playing of Taps at 3 PM local time wherever they feel most comfortable and meaningful.
The origins of the CBS tradition began a decade ago with a solo trumpeter when 78-year-old Don Brittain began playing Taps every evening at sunset from his balcony in Tacoma, WA.
Mr. Brittain explained that he wanted to honor the military in some manner since he wasn’t able to enlist because he had polio as a child.
His tradition of playing Taps soon caught the attention of his neighbors who share that as soon as they heard the melody begin, they would stop what they were doing and stand at attention to pay their respects.
Steve Hartman of CBS News covered this story for his “On the Road” series in 2013.
It became such a popular report that CBS decided to invite all musicians to join in the playing of Taps at 3 PM in their own time zone. Today marks the third anniversary of what CBS claims is one of the largest musical performances of all time.
It has been played by trumpeters from the New York Philharmonic …
…to Caitlyn Sanders of Ellicott City, Maryland who dedicated an entire weekend learning how to play it.
CBS requests that no matter your skill-level or location, you record your rendition on your phone (in the horizontal position) and tag your video on social media with the hashtag #CBSTaps.
They will be browsing public posts with that hashtag on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and TikTok – or uploaded to the folder – to share selections on a later broadcast.
Some Past Performances:
The Younger Set …
Adults …
Military …
CBS Report for This Year:
History & Lyrics of Taps
There’s a popular, but apocryphal, story that the tune originated when Union Army Captain Robert Elli found it in the pocket of a killed Confederate soldier who turned out to be his son, who had been studying music in the South.
The heartbroken father requested that his son, despite fighting for the enemy, be given a full military burial. Capt. Elli’s request was only partially granted since his son was a Confederate. But out of respect for the father, he was permitted to select a single musician.
Captain Elli chose a bugler and asked that he play the tune he found in his son’s pocket.
A touching story, but its true origins are more mundane.
In July of 1862, following the bloody Seven Days battles, Union Brigadier General Daniel Adams Butterfield wanted a more melodic tune than the traditional Lights Out – a rather harsh bugle call signaling the end of the day that was borrowed from the French.
Brigadier General Butterfield
He called the brigade’s bugler, Oliver Wilcox Norton – a schoolteacher from Pennsylvania, to his tent to work on a new tune. Mr. Norton documented what transpired:
Oliver Wilcox Norton
“…showing me some notes on a staff written in pencil on the back of an envelope, [he] asked me to sound them on my bugle. I did this several times, playing the music as written. He changed it somewhat, lengthening some notes and shortening others, but retaining the melody as he first gave it to me. After getting it to his satisfaction, he directed me to sound that call for Taps thereafter in place of the regulation call. The music was beautiful on that still summer night and was heard far beyond the limits of our Brigade. The next day, I was visited by several buglers from neighboring Brigades, asking for copies of the music, which I gladly furnished. The call was gradually taken up through the Army of the Potomac.”
There is something singularly beautiful and appropriate in the music of this wonderful call. Its strains are melancholy, yet full of rest and peace. Its echoes linger in the heart long after its tones have ceased to vibrate in the air.
This more emotive and powerful Taps soon was adopted throughout the military. In 1874, the mournful yet powerful Taps was officially recognized by the U.S. Army, and it became mandatory at military funeral ceremonies in 1891.
Glenn Kirschner – Kevin McCarthy decides to commit crime of contempt of Congress rather than “snitch” on Donald Trump
Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Lauren Boebert’s Dumbest Statement Yet
Robert Reich – How SCOTUS shapes economic rights for the little guy (a very old video but just posted. He posted 9 Thursday – old, new, long, short – I’ve picked just a couple at this point.)
Mallory McMorrow – The speech Michigan Republicans adjourned the State Senate to avoid hearing (hanky alert)
Mrs. Betty Bowers – CHURCH S_X SCANDALS!
Parody Project – RUSSIAN ARMY NOTABLE
Beau – Let’s talk about cops waiting outside, Rule 303, and the way…. (Wow.)
