Open Thread April 21, 2024

 Posted by at 5:44 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 212024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Puccini’s “La Rondine” (The Swallow), his only comic opera (which still has a suffering heroine, but she doesn’t die.) It was written on commission from a Viennese theater. and was intended to be an Italian version of a Viennese operetta. Certainly some of them do not end with the lovers living happily ever after – off the yop of my head, thre’s “Juditta” and “The Land of Smiles”. Viennese operettas do, if I’m not mistaken, all have spoken dialogue, but Puccini only accepted the commission woth a stipulation of no spoken dialogue. The theme is true love v. riches and comfort. Basically, in the first act a poet’s newest work starts a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of both. in the second act she “flies like a swallow” from her sugar daddy to true love, and in the third, she “flies” back. Of course the music is luscious. Also yesterday, the House passed the foreign aid package after months of Republican anal retention (the reference is not to the content of the package necessarily, but to the conduct of Republicans.)

After the package was passed in the House, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) – toold them the truth and they thought it was hell.

This is heartbreaking – but it needs to be widely known. It explains a whole lot. And the article he links to should also be widely spread.

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Open Thread April 20, 2024

 Posted by at 5:45 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 202024
 

Yesterday, a man set himself on fire in the “designated protest area” outside the courthouse where Trump** is being tried. He has allegedly been identified as Maxwell Azzarello of St. Augustine, FL. Since we already know MAGAts are clinically insane, what struck me about the atory is the fact that a “protest area” has been designated. That seriously makes me worry that we will never see sanity in government again – at least not nationally. I do have confidence in some states. Also yesterday, Robert Reich posted a new video on RFKj, and is inviting everyone to share it with everyone. Sure, he can’t win. And logically, his platform should take away voters from Trump**, not from Biden. But politics is not all that logical. Too many people don’t really pay attention.

I am hoping this small victory – the kind of victory which so often Democrats don’t get involved with because it’s local – not thinking it through that it’s those victories from which our bench for the “bigger” contests needs to grow -I hope iit helps inspire others to run also.

Now this is what I have been waiting for ever since Joe appointed Deb Haaland to the Department of the interior. Based just on all the Republican whining it may well have been worth waiting for. Here’s a second link to a different article, same subject.

P.S. Yes, I realize today is 4/20.  But since THC doesn’t really do anything for me, so that I just stick with CBD, I’m afraid I don’t really know how to celebrate

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Open Thread April 13, 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 132024
 

Yesterday, Robert Reich’s column was about the Manhattan criminal charges against Donald Trump**. He explains in detail exactly why it is wrong to call it a “hush money” case. I umderstand, and I’m sure he also does, the temptation to find a way to distinguish it from all his other legal woes, so that people know instantly which case one is talking about. But it also plays into his hands. “New York election interference case” or “Manhattan election interference case” are two ways we can call a spade a spade and still make it clear what case is being alluded to.

This is a “Colorado leads the Way” story. I’m sad that it took this long. But I’m bursting with pride that it’s being done now.

Not to suggest there is such a thing as a good Republican today – but, you know, the House could have done a lot worse than Mike Johnson.

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Open Thread April 10, 2024

 Posted by at 5:51 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 102024
 

Yesterday, Democratic Underground had this short eclipse video from Xitter. I’m not going to send you to Xitter, but the embed is worth watching. (If you read the comments, you’ll know it was first posted by Eric Swalwell.)

Because this is not exactly current events, I held it for a few days. Heather Cox Richardson reviews the history of Yellowstone and of the Antiquities Act. It made me realize how close we came to not having something I have always taken for granted – our National Park system. I’ll try not to take it for granted any more.

Well, this doesn’t look good for my Congressinal District (Not that anything ever looks good for my Congressinal District.) On the other hand,perhaps, with enough publicity about this creep (of course I mean Williams, not Fish)a Dem might be able to win – or at the very least to make a good showing, which might be able to carry forward to 2026.)

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Open Thread April 9, 2024

 Posted by at 5:32 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 092024
 

Yesterday, a member of Democratic Underground posted a new Biden-Harris campaign ad there. Wow. I’m going to provide the DU link (embedded YouTube videos don’t have the advertising) but also the regular YouTube link in case you need full screen, CC, and 75% speed, which I did, to fully appreciate it (or you can navigate to YouTube from the embed.) Hanky alert.

After addressing the Key Bridge tragedy and the tragedy for our nation that is Trump**, Robert Hubbell turned this weekend to immigration. If you want to skip the first part, it’s fairly east – it has its own headline, large and bold – “How foreign immigrants support the US economy.” In addition to his own words, he links to an interactive map where you can, if you wish, find ypour own county, possibly even city, and see how may live there, how much they pay in taxes, what their spendinh power is, and how many are eligible voters (naturalized and 18 or over. Just under half of my county’s are in this category.) And some other data as well. You probably already knew that immigrants are good for the country, but this will really open your eyes to just how much and in what ways that is so.

RFK Jr is best known for being Anti-Vax (Off Topic – but another article at the Daily Beast reveals that Anti-Vaxxers are now trying to take over a hospital.) But it appears he is not averse to accepting support from other shady types.

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Open Thread April 8, 2024

 Posted by at 5:48 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 082024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by. I didn’t have a lot for her to do this week. I was working on my closet more than clutter. She says hi to all.

The Reich on the left is right as usual – about the likely event – and I hope he is equally right about the lag time. Much more than that and it will be too late. I apologize for not making a note of where i read this, but apparently some polling in swing states specifically showed voters positivw abot their state’s economy but negative about the national economy (which makes little sense -but i guess that’s why they’re swing states.)

I don’t know how public this knowledge is – by which I mean, technically it’s public knowledge, but no one will know it if news outlets don’t pick it up.

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Open Thread April 6, 2024

 Posted by at 6:25 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 062024
 

Yesterday, I found it refreshing for an earthquake to be newsworthy in some place other than California. (And, since there were no injries, the humor is a nice touch. “The Empire State Building”sent some messages via Xitter: “I am fine.” “I am still fine.” and then another “I am fine.”)  Also I got my lost made of people whom I haven’t yet paid.  There are seven of them, one of them whom I guess I saw twice, so there are eight charges.  When new bills come in they should be easy to find.  Also – the “Phone Call” Robert Hubbell prodived a summary for yesterday – Beau did a video on it  It’s over 10 minutes, so I sdon’t wast to embed it.  But it’s detailed enough i do wany to make it available.  So, here’s the link.

This really is madness. Sadly it’s predictable (and in-character) madness. Russia is not going to be destroyed by migrants. But it very wwell may be destroyed by its own government.

Very often I can’t find a particular story on “Law and Crime,” appaently because there’s so much crime that stories get pushed to the back. This time I found the one I was looking for. A value of $40.000.00 sounds like grand theft to me.

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Open Thread April 5, 2024

 Posted by at 6:26 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 052024
 

Yesterday must have been an interesting day. I reveived four separate Axios alerts before 1:30 pm. The first was about Democrats putting pressue on Mike Johnson over foreign aid, particularly Ukraine (sure glad to hear that.) The second was that the judge on the Georgia cas rejected Trump’s “First Amendment” challenge to the gag order – also good. The third – and this is huge – No Labels is dropping out of the Presidential race. and the final one was to announce that Aileen (“Loose”) Cannon has again dismissed a Trump** motion to dismiss his case.Four good new breaking alerts in one day is, to put it mildly, rare.

I knew that this was a Civil Rights song. I did not know it was written specifically for the Little Rock Nine. I’m glad to have learned.

I mentioned in a comment that the person who spilled the beans on Kyle Rittenhouse was the defense lawyer at his trial. This story has the details. I think he’s upset that he was taken in and wants to ensure as best he can that no one else is.

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