Starting with some stuff from last week that wasn’t posted until days after
Not Down with PPP
Black History Month
Superbowl Halftime Poem
Now, from this week
The Fight for a $15 Minimum Wage
If they continue putting u segments any old day they feel like it, future Sam Bee posts may continue to look like this.
Sorry I’m so late. I was on hold for about 2 hours and could only do a few things – posting a thread was not one of them.
A very brief excerpt from the new video footage showed today. TC will probably have more tomorrow.
The Lincoln Project
Really American with Glenn Kirschner
Norway responds to the Will Ferrell superbowl ad (which if you missied it is here) https://youtu.be/y4U5nit_WkY
John Fugelsang “Insurrection Dysfunction”
Orange Acres – a new YouTube venture by John Di Domenico – Episode ! (yes, brace yourself, there are more)
Beau – Speaking as a veteran, I’m not sure recruiting needs to change all that much. My experience with enlisted people is that the ones who enlist for the GI Bill, to get an education, already have the curiosity and the attitude which leads to critical thinking. More so, in fact, than many young officers straight from college who never experienced impediments to going through that track (the naïvete of second lieutenants is proverbial in fact, and I assume that’s also true of ensigns.) Many enlisted people who joined for college are actually brilliant. Of course a program where they could turn it into a retention tool – get the education after a 3 or 4 year enlistment, then return for an additional 4 or six year commitment – that couldn’t hurt.
It’s a better day here in the CatBox. I need to get as much rest as possible, because Friday is my infusion day at the hospital, so I’m not sure what I’ll do tomorrow. I will definitely have just a short Personal Update on Friday. Happy Hump Day!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:36 (average 5:20). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: Donald J. Trump’s defense lawyers stunned the United States Senate on Tuesday by acknowledging that their client had incited the Capitol riot, but only because his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, made him do it.
The Senate listened in astonished silence as Trump’s lawyers coldly and methodically hurled Kushner under the bus.
Bruce Castor, one of Trump’s lead attorneys, claimed that the ex-President had been reluctant to speak to the angry mob of supporters on January 6th, and did so only after Kushner assured him, “What could possibly go wrong?”
Dang, Andy! Maybe Jared really did make him do it. That’s credible if you believe that Bears never, ever shit in the woods. RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (NBC News Channel): Watch: Day 1 of Donald Trump’s Impeachment Trial In Senate
This video is 7.5 hours long, and I put it here so you can move around within it and see parts you want. RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (Daily Kos Channel): Democrats present damning video to begin Trump’s impeachment trial for Jan. 6, 2021
I understand that most Senate Republicans evaded watching the video. The American people need to see this again, and again, and again, and again! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Wild Horses – Rolling Stones
Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
So OK – this is the video that the impeachment managers showed to Congress. It’s ~ 13.5 minutes and quite dramatic
And here is Raskin’s statement. Hanky alert.
Vote Vets
The Lincoln Project “Don’t Be Distracted”
Meidas Touch podcast
Really American – Overly optimistic, but if it changes any votes, all to the good.
Now This News. One seldom gets such a clear example, and it’s helpful to have one on hand.
Robert Reich – Picked this up yesterday, but thought I’d wait to make sure you didn’t use it first.
Beau – Yes, we need each other. I’m a reformist, and a big part of that is because I have seen that, over time, incremental reform changes hearts and minds. Matbe not fast enough – OK, definitely not fast enough – but enough to change the orientation of state and federal governments, because enough people have moves that the politics needs to move too (and then it will need to move farther.) But without the revolutionaries (I think I might say visionaries) – he’s right, I might not know why or how.
It’s another painful day here in the CatBox. I spent two hours on the throne fighting Republcitis. Tuesday if Flush Your Republicans Day. ARGH!! I hope I flushed my last for a bit.
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:46 (average 5:43). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From The New Yorker: In an early-morning victory statement that took many in the N.F.L. by surprise, the Cincinnati Bengals have declared themselves the winners of next February’s Super Bowl.
The declaration of victory seemed designed to stir controversy, in no small part because sixty minutes of the sixty-minute-long contest have yet to be played.
But the Bengals remained defiant, arguing that no touchdowns, extra points, field goals, or safeties scored after their announcement should count.
Dang Andy, if the officials that make this call are the same ones that we watched on Sunday, then the Bengals just might get the trophy. They deserve it at least as much as Trump** lover Brady! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From Crooks and Liars: New video has emerged of the so-called “QAnon Shaman” just moments after they stormed the Capitol on January 6th, providing further proof that these insurrectionists were taking their cues directly from Trump.
Could it be more clear? RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (MSNBC Channel): Arizona Republicans Still Waging Trump’s War On Democracy
What she is absolutely no different than what Trump** did. Both and all other Republicans who follow their lead belong in prison. RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge over Troubled Water (from The Concert in Central Park)
Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
American Bridge has been silent since the Georgia runoffs, but this was too much for them to ignore.
The Lincoln Project – “Brand”
The Lincoln Project – “Convict”
Now This News – Amanda Gorman presents at Super Bowl (forgive me – I know several have seen it)
I gather this is a legitimate commercial, but it works as a parody commercial for QAnon
CNN (CC) – A 10-minute video, with distinguished and knowledgeale guests, which looks at more than just Lou Dobbs – it looks at the implications.
Amber Ruffin, like so many comedians, has an excellent point. The transcript of the introduction – I’ll work on getting the rest.
Transcript of intro – “It’s Black History Month! Yay! Every morning this month, Amber wakes up and looks to see what’s waiting for her under the Tubman Tree. Will it be a white person telling her what Martin Luther King would have wanted? Or, better yet—someone saying, “Why do we need a Black History Month? How would you like it if we had a White History Month?” You might be thinking, “every month is White History Month.” But hear Amber out—maybe we *do* need a White History Month, because the American history that’s taught in schools is so whitewashed, we don’t learn the real story.”
Summary provided: “Every February, a bundle of snarky white people will inevitably counter the idea of Black History Month with a deadpan and unintentionally ironic call for whatever their idea of “White History Month” is. But according to Amber Ruffin, that might be the best way to address and correct the record on historical agents of “progress.”
On the latest episode of her namesake Peacock show, the comedian made a helluva case for an inconveniently honest White History Month, taking aim at the stories we’ve been told about the supposedly heroic legacies of George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and the police force. “We learn lies like George Washington chopped down a cherry tree, but not that George had 18 slaves before he turned 18,” Ruffin sharply notes of the Founding Father. From there, Ruffin proves Lincoln was, in fact, a racist president and then goes on to provide a potent crash course on how The Second Amendment established state-sponsored slave-hunting militias, which gave rise to the KKK and invented policing as we know it.
The segment closes with a brief profile of the United Daughters of The Confederacy and how southern white women successfully washed honest portrayals of historic figures out of our education systems by appealing to textbook publishers and infiltrating school boards across the country. “It is impossible to understand politics, the black community’s relationship with police, or why even need to say ‘Black Lives Matter’ if we don’t learn the history of this country,” Ruffin concludes.”
The Alt-Right Playbook – You Go High, We Go Low
Beau on Black History Month. No, he doesn’t often judge. But when he does, it’s righteous
It’s another painful day here in the CatBox. I spent another 90 minutes this morning on the throne with Republicitis. I had a lengthily exchange of message with Becky, my pain specialist. I’ll be there for an infusion on Friday, and while there, I’ll pick up new patches that will be 100 mg, up from the present 75. Yesterday I found the Super Bowl very disappointing. Both teams played very well, but the officiating was so poor and so one sided that they caused a blow-out instead of what should have been a very close game. It’s a shame that the Chiefs were not allowed to play. I trust Nameless will agree. All kidding aside, they are his team, but I was privileged to borrow them. WWWendy is coming tomorrow, but she won’t be here until late afternoon, so I hope to be in the saddle. Oh God, it’s Monday!
Jig Zone Puzzle:
Today’s took me 3:46 (average 5:55). To do it, click here. How did you do?
Cartoon:
Short Takes:
From Crooks and Liars: Canada’s New COVID Test Is Not So Nice
In my opinion, the big swab ought to be mandatory for Republicans. RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube: Our Sasquatch is a major advertiser!
Dang! She has a hot boy friend to sell her stuff for her! We love our Squatch! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
From YouTube (a blast from the past): Somebody to Love
Ah… the memories! RESIST the Republican Reich!!
Meidas Touch – That “click” you hear when everything suddenly fits together and it all makes sense now.
Vox – Of course the time to think about this was in 2018 (and 2020). But anyone who missed that boat can learn from this. Almost 8 minutes, but what’s that as compared with the next ten years?
I just stumbled on this, so I have probably already missed some, and, not being on Twitter, will probably miss more. But I can at least share what a good thing this is!
Congresswoman @LaurenUnderwood is a registered nurse & health care policy expert who co-founded the Black Maternal Health Caucus in her 1st term to end outcome disparities.
She helped strengthen the ACA & is fighting for better health care for #IL14 & America. #BlackHistoryMonth pic.twitter.com/iEZjze1tqv
— Nancy Pelosi (@TeamPelosi) February 7, 2021
The Standing Rock Tribal Council talks DAPL. Yes, there’s a petition. Wopila tanka.
Dr Jill – PSA for the Puppy Bowl XVII
I knew John Fugelsang was clever and witty – but I did not know he did puppets. Now I need to go see what else he does on video.
Beau – Canada and our First Amendment