Open Thread July 5 2024

 Posted by at 5:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 052024
 

Yesterday, because I forgot about the time difference, I livestreamed the final third of a Capitol Fourth. It was fine. I was glad to see a lot of performers of color, including the host. And the cannon in the 1812 overturewould have done Tchaikovsky proud. I personally wold not have programmed “God Bless America,” simply because it annoys me that Christians seem to think it’s a Christian song so they have a monopoly on iy, when in fact it’s a Jewish song, written by Irving Berlin. But they certainly could have done worse.

I’m not sure why this never occurred to me before … but in view of the fact that so many uptight Republicans live in rural areas, it seems odd that they appear tp think they can “protect” children from learning about sex by regulating porn. Kids living on farms and especilly ranches probably see more sex (granted betweem animals) than even the most enterprising city and suburban kids can manage to access on the internet. Do you suppose this isn’t about morals at all, but rather about rural people reproducing more, and the rest of us reproducing less?

I figure we’ll all be talking about this for a while. This article not only discusses the topic, but provides additional reference to knowledgeable people’s responses which could sstart a lot of conversation. I don’t, owever, think we should lose sight of the facts that our number one priority needs to be re-electing Biden, and our number two (a very close two) is giving him the Congress he needs to work with.


The above  is a snapshot. I would not deliberately send y’all to Xitter. The full text is here.

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Open Thread July 3 2024

 Posted by at 6:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 032024
 

Yesterday, The Borowitz Report addressed the Supreme Court. Andy apparently can’t count, and only two of his proposed replacements are lawyers, but it’s still delicious to think about – and the devil is in the details.

I expect that everyone remembers [retired conservative] federal judge [J. Michael] Luttig from his testimony to the January 6 Select Committee. His delivery was so slow and deliberate that some people thought he was age-impaired, but that was not the reason. The actual reason he spoke that way was because the matter was (and is) so important and he wanted to make sure that not a syllable was missed. Well, he’s in the news again, and this time with thoughts so powerful that no one else has the spine to say them out loud. I hope Jack Smith has the spine to hear them. I suspect that if anyone does, it is he.

Robert Reich‘s point, expressed in the first few paragraphs is something I have known foe so long that I tend to forget that not everyone knows, which allows so many to be misled. Heck, I learned in business school that the very word “bureaucracy” was coined to describe what Reich must now call the “administrative state” because the other has been so tarnished. Federal agencies and the regulations they impose are designed to protect we the people from the most dangerous monster on earth – corporations.

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Open Thread June 30 2024

 Posted by at 5:46 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 302024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “The Fairy Queen” by Purcell, which is an adaptation of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” recorded by an early music group in Utrecht, Netherlands. I streamed it – my local radio staion is now broadcasting the summer schedule, but they started a week late, so, if I don’t sream, I’ll miss the last one, and I don’t want to do that. However, The Fairy Queen is just over half the length of last week’s, so when The Fairy Queen ended, I switched over to the radio, just in time for the third and fourth acts. An also just in time for the static it was making earlier to have quieted down. So, the best of both worlds. And today, I’m off to see Virgil. As always, I’ll post a quick comment when I get back.

If you need a lift, and need to see Joe being Joe and apreciated for it, here’s a link to the North Carolina rally from Friday.

This is short, and simple.. Though about a complex issue, it makes it not to difficult to understand. And it’s good news, as far as it goes.

Remember the mayor elected in Alabama with an overwhelming majority, who couldn’t take office because the previous, unelected white mayor (who had not even bothered to run against him) would not turn over the keys? Well. Here’s the latest in that saga – and, hopefully,the last we’ll ever need to hear about it. Though I’m not holding my breath.

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Open Thread June 28 2024

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 282024
 

Yesterday, Ballotpedia announced a new feature: users will now be able to specifically track, from proposal through passage (or failure) legislation regarding AI deepfakes. They sent me an email, but its content is also in an article on their home page. I’m thinking that trying to identify deepfakes and distinguish them from real information is probably a very different experience depending on which state one lives in. At least with this, it should be possible to get an idea of just how tough it is depending on where one lives. And also maybe what to do about deepfakes one identifies. Also the “Debate” was last night. I watched it so you don’t have to.  and that wasn’t easy.  28 minutes in I almost dropped out.  Listening to all those lies literally hurts my ears.  I did make it to the end – but I didn’t stay for the analysis.

I can affirm that trans people exist. I can also affirm that teans people are neither something new nor something liberals made up. There are references to trans people in literarure going back to the fifth century BCE. There are references to, and discussions of, trans people in Jewish scriptures going back thousands of years. We don’t have written records for Egypt on this, but both Ikhnaten and Hatshepsut were depicted in the visual arts as being somewhere between male and female. It would not surprise me to learn that trans people were known of and existed in ancient Africa, Ancient Europe, and Ancient Asia (it would surprise me no end to lean that they didn’t.) Yes, there are Republicans claiming that transgender is a concept liberals just made up withi the last 40 or 50 years. It isn’t. And it is real. Transgender people are not crazy. (Republicans are crazy, but that’s a different matter.)

There are few things I want to do less than reading 920 pages of Project 2025. Frankly, I’d rather have a root canal. But if anyone can make it bearable, it’s Joyce Vance. And when it’s so important, and so few people have even heard of it, let alone what’s in it, she makes a good case for paying attention to it. She starts here with the question, “If immigrants were deported… what would it mean for her grocery bill and access to food?” I can tell you it would be horrible, but she has the facts, including the numbers.

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Open Thread June 26 2024

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 262024
 

Yesterday, having been up the previous night well into the morning, I slept late. I did manage to get up soon enough to call my doctor’s ofice about an appoinrment, but I still had to leave a message. But not that i can drive again, I need to get there and get labs so I can get a prescription straight. They’ll call back.  Also, Andy Borowitz came up with this idea.  What do you think?

Now that we know who is doing this, I suppose the next step is a cease and desist order, and then a big money lawsuuit. At least I hope so. This dude must be stopped (and not rreplaced.)

I always thought Crooks and Liars was progressive – but apparently someone thinks they are not progressive enough, so they are “curating” some articles now, such as this one. Both Elizabeth Warren and Robert Reich weigh in.

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Open Thread June 24 2024

 Posted by at 5:45 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 242024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by. I didn’t have a lot for her to do, but we had a good talk. She says hi to everyone.

This sems like a pretty big deal to me. I hope we are successful in the end – and maybe Nepal can be next.

I haven’t seen all the decisions handed down Friday by SCOTUS, but I did see this report on this one. Despite having lived practically on the banks of the Rio Grande for almost 20 years (in Alamosa), I have no idea whether this is good decision or not. Certainly there are a whole lot of other states which get water from the Rio Grande, and I wouldn’t want those states to get screwed (one of them is mine.) If I knew who the 5 and the 4 were, I’d have a far better idea just from that.

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Open Thread June 21 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 212024
 

Yesterday, SCOTUS issued verdicts and opinions in 4 cases (none involving TFG) – Moore, Chaverini, Diaz and Gonzales. I, on the other hand, took in a grocery order and baked cookies. (Given this Court, my accomplishments were orobablly better for the country.) Today, we can expect more verdicts and opinions. My reference for these decisions and more is here.  P.Ss – Tonight is a full moon. And a “strawberry moon” is expected – low in the sky and so bright it is its own light pollution.

The latest Biden-Harris ad, on YouTube. I’m not as convinced as many seem to be of its effectiveness against brainwashed MAGAts. But then, it’s probably not aimed at them, but at independents and undecideds. With them, it should help.

The Daily Beast’s “Obsessed” section is all about entertainment. But this cought my eye as a piece of fiction I would love to be a part of in real life. The protagonist is known as “The girl with the Dragon Tattoo of journalism,” and she takes on evil corporations. I remember when the first Girl with the Dragon Tattoo novel came out – at least one reviewer compared her to “Pippi Longstocking” grown up.” I’m sure part of that was because both were Swedish – but there were other traits they had in common as well.

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Open Thread June 19 2024

 Posted by at 6:14 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 192024
 

Yesterday, Joyce Vance shared a link to the “Projct 2025” ducument which is the Republican Party’s plan for governing us (and it will be governing us – no representation here.) It’s 920 pages long, and they are joping we won’t read it (heck, I had to struggle with the URL. It resisted being cut. But maybe that’s a good thing. Every time this link is used, the Republicans will know it’s someone who was, directly or indirectly, referred to it by Joyce Vance. And the more of us do, the more they will know she has supporters.) Because they hope we won’t read it, I hope that all of us will at least open the link. If you go, start with the Table of Contents. Ignore the glittering generalities, such as “the general welfare.” All the chaters are aspects of government which they wasnt to take over and destroy. All they need is Trump**.  Try to enjoy your Juneteenth anyway (red beverages are apropos.  I have some res herbal iced tea, some raspberry iced tea, and some strawberry soda, so I’m ready.)

I applaud Colorado for leading the way here. Our law may not be perfect (in fact, it probably isn’t – it’s nearly impossible to achieve peerfection in the very first law on anything new. The Second Amendment certainly didn’t.)  But at least it’s a law. I hope other states will not just follow, but also alter details to make the law better.

If you disagree with me that Wonkette’s unique style adds to this story, you probably can find it elsewhere. I personally feel that people who say and do things such as the potential defendant in this potential litigation dod ans said deserve all the mockery that gets aimed at them, and likely more. There’s also a neat little twist of Virginia law in the story, and although I can see how it could be abused,I kind of like it.

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