Cats – Page 4 – Politics Plus

Open Thread September 7 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:02 am Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Sep 072026

Yesterday you may have wondered what took me so long to get home, when visiting hours now end at 3:oo p.m. The answer is that I made a pretty large detour on the way home. I have an appointment for a CT scan coming Saturday, and I wanted to see if I could find the place in advance. It’s in the 5800 block of North Nevada Avenue – and for a while, I actually lived in the 5400 block, so you’d think it would be easy. But that was when Nevada was two lanes, with occasional turn lanes.It’s now a six-lane divided highway. So I’m thinking for a 5:15 pm check in I should leave home no later than 4:00 p.m. (and take a small knitting project along.)

Of course I shall have TomCat on my mind. CT is what they now call what used to be called a CAT scan – and I suspect the name change came about because too many people like TC asked to play with the CAT.

This is the article I searched after watching Frank Friday – so feel free to skip it if you watched that.

What if we told millionaires and up that they can set their own taxes. For every dollar they donate to a political PAC or candidate, a matching dollar must go to the IRS. Yes, I realize that might only accomplish drastically reducing dark money in politics – but that alone is worth a whole lot. I’ve often thought that if they simply gave to the IRS what they spend on elections and bribes, they’d be no worse off than they are now, and the nation would be vastly improved.

Yes, sadly, it’s true. We are still fighting this throughout the world – including in the UK and the US. What is wrong with people? Well, they think that human beings – particularly women and children are property. That was literally true in the legal system of ancient Rome (and other empires – but Rome is the one I have studied.) humanity has been moving away from that, less, but not very fast. It was not until 1948 that a universal declaration of human rights was adopted by the UN – which includes a lot of nations – but not all – and nothing, really, prevents member nations from being scofflaws. And when any nation has a plurality (a mojority is not needed) of citizens who were brought up to believe that some humans are property, there’s going to be resistance. And this, ladies and gentlemen, illustrates why education is so important to the survival of nations – all nations.

Open Thread September 5 2026

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

Sep 052026

Yesterday I got a bit overwhelmed – a lot of links and multiple subjects and not enough time to categorize them properly, so low on Tabs. I apologize for the disorhanization. (Which may include insufficient proofreading.)

I think we all know that there is virtually no voter fraud. But there are massive attempts to suppress voters. Joyce Vance brings receipts.

I had not heard of this. Unfortunately, it could be important.

The next “No Kings” event is scheduled for September 19 and September 20. Multiple groups are again involved, ao not every link is going to say “No Kings.”

Frank Figliuzzi was seriously hot yesterday. I found a link for this story – and tested it – and a link for another one which I will post Monday, but that leaves out a lot, so if you can spare an hour and five minutes, I recommend listening to it and skipping this and Monday’s print links.

This video, being from Substack, looks massive – but it’s actually under 3 minutes (and it’s time sensiive.) Kris is asking for donations. I’m not, because y’all know best what you can and/or want to do. But do, please, watch it. And join me if you will, in being glad that someone thought of this.

(may be a rerun)

Open Thread September 2 2026

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

Sep 022026

At 81, even in a small family, I’ve known some morticians – including away from the funeral home. They are human. Probably no two of then would tell you this in the same words – but they’d all tell you that everything they do is done for the families of the deceased – and also, that dealing respectfully with the remains is at the very top of the list of thingd that are done for the family. Do, when I came across a YouTube channel called “Lauren the Mortician,” it shouldn’t be surprising that I watched a few episodes, and ended up bookmarking the home page. She makes a new video each Monday (which she refers to as “morbid Monday”), and iy sholdn’t be a surprise that this Monday she was all over the Nepal disaster. If you can’t stand thinking or talking about death, ignore this. But if you are open to getting a little better acquainted with the Grim Reaper, this week’s video is here (spoiler – almost no one drowned.)

Referred by VoteVets. Maybe I’m seeing ghosts – but with Tramp [sic] and Kegsbreath shooting off their mouths about how shipboard deplotments shoud routnely be a full year – I can’t help but wonder whether they are being influenced by someone who realizes how detrimental that would be to morale – both to the teoops trapped in that situation and to troops who aren’t there but are scheduled to be up next – and to those who have not enlisted but were considering doing so – and now won’t. Someone who wants to see the US military completely destroyed. It’s easy to say that this regime care no more about human beings serving in the armed forces that they would about a part in a machine – but, honestly, they don’t even care that much. Machine parts wear down and need maintenance too – and without that maintenance the machine won’t work.

Breaking news from Axios when I first saw it. It isn’t good wnough in this regime to agree (or xapitulate) on some things or even most things. It’s got to be everything, or you’re O-U-T, out.

Joyce Vance asks the question we’s all like to know the answer to – especially if the answer contained informatin we could use to get rid of them. I think it is both possible and plausible – although, alas, not presumptive) that he has dirt on them. That’s been an arrow in his MO quiver since he was an apprentice in Daddy’s company. And, for three of them at least, we even have a pretty good idea of what the dirt might comprise. But that is not the only possibility – and there may in fact be multiple reasons, and different ones for rach compromised justice.

Cat 2fer

Open Thread August 30 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:11 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 302026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Johann Strauss Jr’s “Die Fledermaus” (“The Bat”) There is no (visible) bat in it, but it is filled with absurdities. It’s a comedic takeoff on the “revenge tragedy” form, but but the revenge is for making the “injured” person look silly by leaving him in the public park dead drunk and still in his bat costume from the party they both attended, so that when the rest of the city woke up, he became a laughingstock. It’s an opera I’m very familiar with, having costumed it for Adams State College when I was working for the the theatre department more than 40 years ago. You can make up your own mind how funny it is, but the Viennese to this day think it is a hoot. It is staged there every New Year. (I don’t know how they managed that during the two World Wars, and perhaps they didn’t, but if not, that was another huge grievance against the Germans.) Austria, and particularly Vienna, takes its light music seriously.) The broadcast [erformance was recorded at the Vienna State Opera, and it was in fact recorded last New Year’s Eve.

This sure sounds like good news to me. A pricey crop that doesn’t require rivers for irrigation is just what Colorado need right now.

Not news – but a whole lot of fun for those of us into medieval history. At one time I thought of joining – I only got as far as picking a name, which was Fontaine d’Artois. (There are – or used to be -a respectable number of Artesian wells in the San Luis Valley, where Alamosa is located.)

Lima

Mike

I’m always ewluctant to say “The kids are all right,” because there are always some who aren’t. But clearly these young women in Alaska are just fine, thank you.

Open Thread August 28 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 282026

Wednesday, I went to bed around sunrise, and got up around sunset, and stayed up. On Thursday, I did the same, and finished and posted this in real time, around sunrise. That won’t last too long. The opera is tomorrow, and Trinette will be coming over Sunday. By Tuesday at the latest I should be back on a schedule which, if not exactly normal, is at least normal for me.
ttps://harrylitman.substack.com/p/the-other-side-of-dojs-corruption
I am not saying, and I don’t think Harry is saying, that this is entirely due to this DOJ having thrown the presumption of regularity out of a fiftieth story uindow. But I can’t help but think it does play a part. And so does sheer incompetence (something which affects every aspect of this regime, not merely the DOJ.)

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/revisiting-can-federal-troops-be
It always surprises me – and, frankly, feels false – when the Mango Moron is described as using a “trial run.” simply because I don’t think is intelligent eough – and I do think he is too vain – to believe he needs one. However, he does have lackeys who are knowledgeable enough to recommend trial runs to him, and possibly glib enough to get his approval. Of course, a trial run on his part may also become a trial run on our part – or, at the very least, a telegraphing of the nature of the attack before it occurs. I’m very glad Joyce Vance is doing the analysis so that I don’t have to – she is SO much better at it than I could possibly be.

https://thefuckingnews.substack.com
I expect the Guardian has all of these stories, and a lot more respectfully at that. Somehow, to me, the tone felt exactly right.

https://www.confrontthehate.com/p/the-american-caesar-why-extremists
Well, here it is at last – the truth that, if we become a fascist nation, it won’t happen or at least not completely, from our being careless and just sliding into it. We will have been deliberately dragged into it by people who know exactly what they are doing, and want it to happen, because tthey think it will allow them to get everything they want. It won’t. But by the time they figure that out, since they are wealthy and think wealth will buy everything, i will be far too late for all of us. So much for “most of us just want the same things.” The people who want the power they believe a monarchy will give them re totally different. They are a minority, yes -but they are a larger minority than normal people can begin to comprehend.

Open Thread August 26 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:31 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 262026

Yesterday, Dolly Parton died, aged 80. Many people will mourn her because of her singing, and the songs she wrote. And that is understandable. She was at the top of her genre, and it’s one which tugs at heartstrings. This the New Yorker speaks toall who will miss her. I will grieve because, while she lived, no majority black high school band in Tennessee ever had to fundraise to get band uniforms.
Today I have two medical appointments -one at 9:00 am (with 8:30 checkin) and the secoand the second at 4:30pm (with 4:15 checkin.) I decided my best chance of getting to both on time and awake was to stay up all night Monday, sleep all day Tuesday, and stay up all Tuesday night. We’ll hope it works.

From Talking Points Memo. This is quite an analogy – The Orange Ogre’s drug of choice is not adderall after all, , but his fantasies about reality,which he cannot accept. At this late date, after all these years, I doubt that an intervention is going to change anything.

Archived from the Old Gray Lady because paywall. Referred by Allison Gill. This does appear to be yesterday’s biggest news. This is why so many people are discovering that not all Democrats are alike – and that we don’t want coporate ones (also known as “third way” Democrats.)

I couldn’t agree with Robert Reich more. This should be painfully obvious. (It probably won’t be, given MAGA’s Trump Derangement Syndrome – but it should be.)

Wampanoag

Cat

Open Thread August 23 2026

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

Aug 232026

Yesterday, the radio opera was Giuseppe Verdi’s “Luisa Miller” – one of his early successes which made masterpieces like Il Trovatore, La Traviata, Rigoletto and more possible. It reminds me of La Gioconda, in that both have a character who has the hots for the heroine (who is in love with someone else) and is so resentfl at being turned down that he destroys pretty much everyone else in the cast. Verdi named this character “Wurm,” so you know right up front just who he is. (Come to think of it, “Andes Chenier” has one of those too.) Off to see Virgil now – will of course check in upon return.

Dave is not the first male Drama Queen I have ever encountered – not even the first male felins Drama Queen. But he may be the loudest.

Open Thread August 21 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:57 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Aug 212026

Yesterday, I overslept, even for me. Well, that happens.

From Colorado Public Radio. Sadly, it makes sense to me. A fast burning fire would probably be at a higher temprature – and accordingly, do more damage in less time. And that’s in addition to burning more area. Knowing this would, it seems to me at first glance, give us the opportunity to do some manual re-seeding to give the area a boost to re-grow, but the article doesn’t mention that, so there may be reasons why this would not work, or worse, would make the area even more vulnerable to climate change. The people working on this are not idiots.

I do realize how next to imposssible it is to get people who live in fantasy worlds to see reality. But we are able to know reality when we see it – and there’s some reality in this letter which we should all be aware of.

This from Drop Site News may well tell you more about what some call the Boatiac Murders than you ever wanted to know. Yes, apparently they are no longer happening around Venezuela, but around Ecuador. But still being done in our name with our money.

Oh, goody. Just what we needed – NOT. Where’s the international association to teach the our people how to spread democracy? Yes, it takes capital to start a news outlet – nut there are some patriotic millionaires – there’s even a group called that.

Cat

Older Entries Newer Entries