Armed Forces – Page 2 – Politics Plus

Open Thread September 3 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 032025

Yesterday, Indivisible announced its next “No Kings” Day will be October 18. They expect to have maps up with events starting next week, but there is already a link to just “RSVP” (i.e. just say you’ll be there -somewhere.)

This is mostly a video with a reading from Robert Reich’s new book. It’s NSFW because Robert’s father did not mince words. It’s about 36 minutes, but doesn’t seem that long – but that may be partly because, being a book reading, it doesn’t need to be watched, and someone like me can knit while listening.

Margaret Atwood reports that The Handmaid’s Tale” is being banned in Edmonton, Alberta, and all the world and its canary wants her to comment – but she hasn’t been able to reach anyone in Edmonton who will tell her the basis on which it is being banned there. She still has a lot of general comments on book banning, though. And some other issues.

This Davis Mortuary thing has been a continuing scandal in the state for some time, but this is the first I have heard of a co-owner having a side gig as the Pueblo County Coroner. So now it’s political – and personal. The County Coroner in most places I know about is one of the least visible public officials, and, in many places, there is no legal requirement for him or her to meet any particuar qualificatons, other then getting elected. I do not know this, and could not prove it if I did, but I have a sneaking suspicion that this is a real life example of American exceptionalism – I doubt that other, smarter countries handle deaths quite as crudely as we do.

Open Thread August 2 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 022025

Yesterday, I spent some time getting organized for Trinette to come over Sunday. I have trash and I have recyclables, and they need to be in bags so they’re easy to carry out. Also, since Trinette has now nagged me enough, we are going to he VA Monday to see what they can do for me. I haven’t been there since 1976, and I hear they will now assist with MedicAlerts – if the Persimmon Palpatine hasn’t destroyed that already. And I want to have all my paperwork together. Otherwise, it was just a day. I gat a card in the mail from an old Marine Corps friend,, and one of my second cousins in California called to wish me a happy day. i also got emails from Trinette and Carrie B (“NannyCarrie” from Care2).

Thursday, Andy Borowitz, who generally keeps his videos for paid subscribers only, posted a (roughly 31 minute) video with W.Kamau Bell open to everyone. Like every other Substack video I have watched, it needs to be unmuted, but otherwise it was very smooth. But if you just want to skip close to the end and learn what charity Bell donated his Jeopardy winnings to, I think you may be surprised.

This from ProPublica I fear needs a trigger warning – or at least a tissue alert. But one of the men in it says that getting home and realizing that he hadn’t been forgotten was the best gift he could have received. Let’s not forget them.

A couple of other outlets had this story, so I may be sorry I chose it, but it’s definitely personal to me. I live on Social Security. My life depends on it.

Open Thread July 11 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 112025

Yesterday, the ACLU announced in an email that it had quickly refiled to block the executive order against birthright citizenship as a class action, allowing a federal judge to block it nation wide. Also, I got my blood test results and none of my meds is changing this time – a welcome first. Also, the 19th advised me that the first Barbie doll to have Type 1 diabetes is here. This is what she looks like. If it seems weird to you to se something so comparatively “normal” in the news, you are not alone.

This from the F* News is brilliantly framed and might possibly even suck MAGA into reading it, though they might not get the point.

Press Watch with Dan Froomkin – who does know what journalism is, and also what it isn’t. If you claim to be a journalist, and have “a strong belief and passion” in anything other than truth and accuracy – you are nor a journalist. Period. (And the New York Times is just as bad and getting worse by the day.)

It’s hardly news that Republicans lie. Some of us who have been saying they lie like Democrats breath are now starting to re-evaluate that, because they lie so much more than Democrats breathe. It should be no surprise that Heather Cox Richardson has their number.

Open Thread February 24 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 242025

Yesterday, Virgil and I played cribbage – and did some reminiscing about Fred, which was bittersweet. His legacy – the station announced his passing on Thursday and started then playing comments from other announcers, former announcers, the manager, former managers, and listeners about their memories. They continued all day Friday – except for a two-hour special featuring more comments and his favorite music. Than they continued interspersing comments all day Saturday (except for the opera – it runs live so there’s no way for an individual station to carve out any time, and besides, Fred would have hated that – he loved opera at least as much as I do – probably more.) Then yesterday it continued. It may continue today. I’m certainly not tired of it.

There is a lot of good-to-know information in this The F* News article. The Governor of Maine is just the hors d’oeuvres, if you will. What convinced me to post it was its explanation, complete with links to evidence, of why having a Medicare Advantage plan is literally paying for the privilege of having your claims denied.

I don’t watch network TV, or any TV really – if you do, you’ve likely heard that Joy Reid (Th Reid Out) has been fired from MSN. I expect some of you have already given up on MSN – numerous people at site I read which allow comments certainly have. I still feel that Lawrence and Nicolle are valuable, and also Rachel is back daily, I believe for the first hundred days of the present administration only, but it’s something. I also note – at the link – that Meidas Touch offered her a position before the ink was dry on the pink slip (metaphor – I know no one uses ink on paper any more.) I personally find Meidas Touch difficult to listen to, but I know that’s just me, and I am extremely grateful for the work they are doing.

Open Thread December 15 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Dec 152024

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Grounded” by Jeanine Tesori, a new (2023) commission from the Met. I’ve linked to the Wikipedia page on it – I won’t even try to summarize it – but I would love to know what Tammy Duckworth would think of it, if she were to watch it or listen to it – though I would not be surprised if she didn’t want to. The music is very listenable, which should not surprise anyone, as it is from the composer of two Tony-winning Broadway musicals plus “Shrek the Musical,” as well as other operas. Alo, I suppose I should say something about the drone sightings over New Jersey, NYC, and Connecticut, but sine I don’t know any facts, I don’t have anything to say. I can say the Cory Booker is concerned and pressing for information. So now I’m off to see Virgil, and will check in when I return.

Straight from The Root, a piece of good news for a Sunday.

This is Part I of Robert Reich‘s analysis of how we need to develop our messaging (Part II follows below). He may be right – I’m a great believer in the power of story – but the proposition bothers me because, although to of the tories lead to care for others and to justice, two lead to hard hearts and injustice.

Robert Reich Part II. A couple of comments are shown in the free version, and one of them points out that some Democrats have no difficulty with properly identifying the “rot at the top.” The commenter cites Sanders and Warren, but my first thoughts upon reading the subtitle were for AOC, Katie Porter, and Jasmine Crockett.

Open Thread February 26, 2024

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Feb 262024

Yesterday, Trinette was by to bring in mail, take out trash and recyclables, and start the car. (Hi back to all.) While here, she noticed I had acquired an HD antenna and had not done anything with it. I know you all think I am highly computer literate, but the truth is, I had no more idea what to do with it than a dog who has caught a car. With a book or pamphlet of instructions, I could have coped, but it didn’t come with one. But Trinette got it working and set on PBS in practically no time. What a gem!

As a veteran, I’m deeply interested in this, because no one can be a MAGAt and a good soldier at the same time, any more than one can be a MAGAt and a patriot at the same time. The mention of individual unit commanders developing their own training tells me two things – first, that there are multiple unit commanders whose hearts are in the right place (and in sync with their brains), and second, that these commanders’ own superior officers have failed them. Yes, there’s much more to get out of this report; those were just what struck me.

Dearfield, Colorado, a town in Weld County (Northeast of Denver), now a ghost town, began to be homesteaded by black people in 1910. Eventually it became the home of 300 people of color, making it the largest black homestead in the state. It is already on the National Register of Historic Places. Now, descendants of the homesteaders, historians, and others who care, want it to be designated as a National Park. I for one certainly hope the effort succeeds.

Open Thread October 18, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 182023

Yesterday, this paragraph was in the public radio newsletter: “Colorado said the bridge that collapsed near Pueblo in a fatal train derailment was owned by the railroad company, but the company says the state owns it.” It’s going to be a long wait. Sigh. “Photos and videos posted by authorities showed the partially collapsed bridge with the semi-truck caught beneath in the right lane. The images also show a pileup of train cars and wheels scattered across the scene and loads of coal covering a portion of the highway. Thirty-nine cars of the 124 being hauled derailed, the National Transportation Safety Board said.”

Also, my ballot arrived. I already knew how I wanted to vote on the two issues, but there is also a school board election. Five candiedates. Two vacancies. At least this time Ballotpedia came through on a couple of them (one yes, one no) and another candidate ‘s name was unusual enough that just her name brought up that she’s registered D. So I had two that I could vote for, and did. The other two should have filled out the questionnaires.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

John Pavlovitz – The One Place to Stand in The Israel-Palestine Violence
Quote – As a person of faith, morality, and conscience, I don’t know where to stand in times like these—other than with squandered, brutalized life. That means I don’t get off so easy as to be able to make a tidy little declaration and walk away feeling good about myself. It means I have to leave the shallows of ambiguity and into deep waters of nuance and history and human nature. It means I have to read and learn, to listen and reflect, to pray and wrestle. It means I’ll end up with fewer answers and more questions and I might be sick to my stomach. But this place of staring at the ugly unfigureoutable is where I am, where many of us are.
Click through for full secular sermon – which is what I found it to be. Yes, John is a pastor, but he does his best to speak to everyone, and often succeeds. I think he succeeds here.

Colorado Public Radio – Navy honors sailor who helped stop Club Q shooting
Quote – During a ceremony on Thursday, Oct. 5, Rear Adm. Scott Robertson, director of Plans, Policy and Strategy for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command, presented the medal on behalf of the Navy…. “I myself can only hope that I would channel the courage in our Navy core values like he did,” Robertson said. “But, we don’t have to wait for crisis to apply core values. We can and should apply them every day. That’s what I am taking away from the lessons you taught us all.”
Click through for full story. This is a week or more old – I saved it until Pat got back. Thank God Tommy Tuberville didn’t have his way before this occurred – it could have been much worse.

Food For Thought