Open Thread May 30 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 302025
 

Yesterday, Elon Musk apparently resigned as a “temporary government employee” or whatever the “official” title was. But that doesn’t mean “DOGE” is gone. His hand-picked lackeys are still around, as loyal to him as MAGA is to Trump**(*). We aren’t going to escape that easily. Also , Andy Borowitz came out with a jest that I wish (and I expect we all do) was real. Finally, after reading the CPR newsletter, and deciding no one else was about to do it, I put up a petition on Care2. You don’t have to be in Colorado to sign it.  The other side is sending from all over.

One of my core principles is that, if someone does something wrong due to a condition in which you played a part in creating, intentionally or not, knowingly or not, you don’t get to punish them for it. It’s acceptable to take non-punitive steps to alleviate the condition, but that’s it. If necessary to protect the community, it is permissible to apply restraint, but it cannot be punitive. And you must accept your own accountability. This applies to big and small issues equally. There used to be a commercial about a mother helping with her daughter’s wedding, and the daughter acting somewhere between disappointed and disgusted because mom had frequent urination. I used to think “you little brat, she has frequent urination now in large part because she brought you into the world. If you have children and make it to her age, you’ll have frequent urination too, and it’ll be too late to make it up to her.” But that’s really nothing compared to this story – which incenses me as a veteran.

If you have seen this elsewhere, I apologize for making you look at it again. I mean, not that we didn’t know that GOP lies and cruelty go together like syphilis and gonorrhea, but this expands the definition of judicial murder into new territory. What we need now in this country, and in particular anyone in this country who has both a heart and a brain, is more righteous outrage. (And of course more people like Anna Stout.)

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Open Thread May 29 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 292025
 

Yesterday, Various people were still talking about Scott Pelley’s commencement speech at Wake Forest, mostly in glowing terms (although I’m sure MAGAts had other opinions.) Wonkette linked to a transcript of it, so you can judge for yourself. I think it’s worth the time. Also, the Nature Conservancy shared aome footage on the mating rituals of the greater prairie-chicken, including sound. It’s funny, because it’s kind of a little allegory of males of every species – or so it appeared to me and Trinette. You may not agree.

Yes, this from Joyce Vance is from Tuesday. She is concerned that it isn’t (or wasn’t then) getting much if any coverage, and she may still be correct about that.

John Pavlovitz would be the first to tell you that he struggles with major depression (and, yes he has sought and received treatment for it, with all that implies. If you’re not familiar with the concept of the wounded healer, you can look at him and get an idea.) So the current regime is terribly hard on him – as of course it is on us. But, as he points out, joyis not just feeling good – it is also a weapon- a defensive weapon, but still a weapon.

Not really news from the Brennan Center – at least, not to anyone with two brain cells to rub together. But not being news does not mean it isn’t still a problem, especially since we have a modern Roger Taney SCOTUS.

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Open Thread May 22 2025

 Posted by at 6:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 222025
 

Yesterday, while looking for a cartoon for today (a specific one), I found trove of older cartoons and memes, many of which are not old at all. For instance, does anyone remember (I didn’t) that the Cantaloupe Caligula expressed interest in buying Greenland as early as 2019? I didn’t. But he did. Incidentally, the third asterisk in parentheses when I use the name Trump**(*) is because articles of impeachment have actually been filed. Not that they will go anywhere, but they have. I admit I jumped the gun a little and added it when they had only been drafted and not yet filed – but they did get filed, so I have no regrets. Also yesterday, the Brennan Center reported that Rikers Island ‘s penal complex has been put into receivership by a Federal judge. And one more thing: Rep Gerry Connolly (D-VA) died from esophageal cancer. I looked up Virginia law, and there will be a special election called by the Governor. The law does not specify a time frame.

I’m back to working a little ahead, which means my selections will be a little behind. I hope that isn’t too annoying. At least this from Talking Points Memo covers multiple topics (all important) so there’s a chance you may not have seen one or two.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/stop-asking-about-a-biden-cover-up
This by Robert Reich is not really addressed to us, but to the media, and particularly to wingnut media. As such, it’s probably already doomed. It may give us some ammunition, if any of us has a platform from which to use it. Persnally, I will put on record, and would happily do so anywhere, any time, my evidence-backed opinion that a demented Joe Biden would be a better President than Trump**(*) in perfect mental health and 20 years younger.

I would not be a bit surprised if this news got buried, and in fact considering the circumstances – all the circumstances – it’s probably not all that big a story. But you gotta love Wonkette‘s headline. (I am not blind to the possibility of dangerous consequences from it, but it’s still funny.)

This is a bonus video from Talking Feds. Harry analyzes in detail the events regarding the arrest of Mayor Baraka and the charge against Congresswoman McIver in New Jersey – and what a mess* it really is. The vid is about 26 minutes because it doesn’t leave any issues out.
*When I was in the USMC, we had a racist expression for this which I won’t repeat. “SNAFU,” even “FUBB,” don’t really do it justice, though. Maybe “circle jerk”?

Belle empty ports

Dog

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Open Thread May 20 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 202025
 

Also going back to last week, in an email from the Vote Common Good PAC there was this: “Early results from our in-depth survey research on religious voters are starting to come in, and they are startling in the best possible way. For the first time, we’re asking the kinds of questions most polls skip — not just what religion someone checks on a form, but how their spiritual identity shapes how they show up in the world…and in the voting booth. I can’t share the details just yet — the study is still in progress — but I can tell you this: what we’re seeing is going to change how Democrats think about religious voters. It’s going to change how we train candidates, how we talk to persuadable voters, and how we win.” This makes me very interested in seeing the results of the survey. I have always felt there was more going on between people and religion – any religion – than met anyone’s eye, and certainly any politician’s eye. Jonathan Haidt’s work speaks to that, but not IMO fully, and in any case he’s not very well known. (I also think that “religion” is the wrong word for belief systems. The “lig” in “religion” is the same “lig” that is in “obligation,” and a belief system or a world view should be something more. But that’s neither here nor there.

I think I must address Joe Biden’s cancer diagnosis, which was characterized as “an aggressive form of prostate cancer which has metastasized to the bone.” Obviously this is a very serious diagnosis. It may not be a death sentence. This post from Democratic Underground (passed on from Threads) makes that point. Others who have written about their own experience with the same diagnosis report a wide range of outcomes. Some of those are in the comments at the same article. I don’t think I need to be a doctor to believe that a person’s general health outside particular diagnosis is a factor in how the body deals with any ailment. I’ve seen several places that hormone therapy is a possible alternative to chemo, and at least one added particularly with this diagnosis. I think we can have some confidence that Joe and his medical team will make the best possible choice. That said, nothing is certain. *Incidentally, Jacques Trudeau sent a message of support in English and French.)

Talking Points Memo addresses certain abuses of power which we all knew were coming, but at least are not targeting the poorest and most vulnerable among us. Which does not make them any less disgusting.

This is from Wonkette from Friday. I apologize for taking so long – but there’s nothing that really can be done about this story – I doubt whether overturning Dobbs would even prevent a repeat – you’ll see why. And we’ve already been fighting racism and misogyny for uncountable years but this happened anyway – I should say “is happening.”

And this, by Heather Cox Richardson, is from Thursday. It is the history of the Magna Carta. And it is ironic* that I can post it the day after I went on a rant about what royal life is really like – because it has been and still is a huge influence on why monarchies in Europe today are Constitutional Monarchies. Now we ned to ensure that the Kumquat Kleptocrat does not get his hands on our contemporary copy. (*See – irony is not dead.)

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Open Thread May 16 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 162025
 

Yesterday, I had a bit more paperwork to do for the prison. It took longer than I wished – but it was a bit easier than the first two because instead of having to go the the website ands turn a pdf into a jpg so I could type into it, the prison emailed me a blank word document. Obviously I have saved copies of everything. I’m pretty sure that’s the last one.

I don’t remember subscribing to The Intercept – I presume it happened because I signed something- but I have not seen this lede story anywhere else, and I don’t think it should be ignored, so I’m sharing. Feel free to browse down, and if you go to another page, browse down it also. They have a lot of information.

Harry Litman at Talking Feds on a story that is definitely not getting ignored – so much is being discussed I thought I’d bring an actual Constitutional lawyer to address it.

And if you want to listen to another lawyer, here’s a  Michael Popok (Legal AF, Meidas Touch) a variety of legal issues. You can also see it on YouTube, but if, like me, you aren’t paying YouTube, this is a way to skip the ads, even if you aren’t paying Meidas either..

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Open Thread May 13 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 132025
 

Yesterday, I found another Substack besides Wonkette which allows comments from no-paying subscribers – The F***ing News. And, even more so than on Wonkette, Hoo boy, do you ever hear back. In your email. Most of is is “like”s, but there are also replies, and the email contains the full reply, so you don’t need to leave your inbox unless you want to reply to (or like) the reply you got. I take that as evidence above and beyond the statistics and ratings that Substack is really reaching people.

I don’t often post John Pavlovitz. But I am today. He is not saying anything, for instance, Robert Reich is also saying. But he is saying is in a voice metaphorically like a volcano. Maybe you know someone who needs to read (or hear – there is a “voiceover” 4:21 minutes long.)

I have posted items I found in Wonkette Tabs before, but this is the first time I am posting a link to the Tabs themselves. Tabs are a collection of newsworthy articles which for some reason no Wonkette individual writer is writing a whole post about. But that doesn’t mean the stories are necessarily trivial. In fact, I’m posting to the link today because I was overwhelmed by the amount of consequential news. I’m not expecting everyone to go to every story it could take you all day – but as a summary, I found it effective on its own.

Dog

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