Open Thread May 28 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 282025
 

Yesterday, Andy Borowitz questioned Jake Tapper’s cognitive ability, since he wrote a book about the cognitive decline of a President-but it was the wrong President.  Also, I streamed the National Memorial Day Concert which I had not caught on Sunday,  It was still up (and may still be – if it is, anyone can watch it.  My “Passport” is up to date, but I didn’t need to sign in to see it.  Also, Joe Mantegna does not have a life-threatening medical condition – is not even bedridden – he just has an inner ear issue  such that his doctor won’t let him fly and he would have had to fly to get to DC timely.)

From The Intercept. Kind of makes me even more glad that I am old. And that I am in a financial position such that, although I meet my financial obligations, I don’t have a lot left over so I’m less attractive as a target.

From the 19th. Not news. Instead, a deep dive into police killings, the men they killed, and their mothers whose lives were changed forever. Lest we forget.

I honestly don’t know what to think about this. He is such a liar – but even if this is a real breakthrough, he is so cognitively impaired that it’s not terribly likely that he’s able to hang on to it. And of course he still is who he is. Wonkette discusses.

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Open Thread May 4 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 042025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.” Yes, the “Anvil Chorus,” as you may have heard on TV cartoons as a kid. The opera takes less than two and a half hours excluding intermissions, but the story – that’s a revenge tragedy which was decades in the making. And so hard to believe that many people still want it explained to them. I think someone finally told this guy, but there sued to be a cafê in Italy whose owner offered a free bottle of wine to whoever could explain it to him. Frankly, it didn’t totally click for me until the last decade. Sometimes I’m slow. But at least in this case I have good company. Now I need to go back to Friday, when I got an email from Virgil’s prison that my paperwork was expiring and they needed new paperwork by 2:30 pm that day or I would not be able to see Virgil today. Well, I didn’t even see it until after 2:30. I was able to put it all together and email it, but not until about 10:00 pm (still Friday though.). So you don’t have to worry about me being on the road today, and I won’t post a comment.  Almost forgot – May the Fourth be with you.

This from Reasons To Be Cheerful pretty much speaks for itself. I could wish we could have this here, of course. But it’s probably happening where it most needs to.

From Democratic Underground – You have probably read or heard this. I’ve seen references to it but not the actual story yet.

This is from Good News Network, and it’s regarding something I’ve been worried about for quite some time now. Maybe you have too. I’m not suggesting we can be complacent – but it is a step in the right direction.

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Open Thread April 13 2025

 Posted by at 5:56 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 132025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” – or I should say “Die Zauberflöte,” since it was the full opera and in German – except for a few interpolated jokes by Papageno. Such as, in the second act when he and Tamino were supposed to be refraining from food, drink, and even speech, he whistled and then sang a snippet from “New York, New York,” quoting “These little=town blues,” to be exact. I think Emanuel Schickaneder, who wrote the libretto and was the first to play Papageno, would have loved it (he was quite the card himself, and an improviser.) Today’s audience certainly did. Also yesterday, ProPublica reported that both Leonard Leo and Charles Koch are among plaintiffs (both as parts of groups) suing the the Mango Monster over tariffs. Did you ever expect to be grateful to either of those two for anything – anything at all? I certainly didn’t. Also, I chose the video I did because virtually everyone is riffing on “Who Shot The Sheriff” – besides Don Caron, the Riccardis, Founders Sing and  Patrick Fitzgerald have all covered it – with slightly different lyrics, but the same issue – tariffs.

I’d call this very good news indeed. Colorado appears to contain some very courageous people – and, more importantly, have at least some of them in positions where it is needed.

I don’t want to post a single-source open thread, so I’ll need a third one. But this one even CPR marks as good news – which they can’t do on political stories very well.

Here’s some good climate news from Wonkette. “Doktor Zoom” is the writer there who is most into climate change news, though all are to some degree.

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Open Thread April 4 2025

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 042025
 

Yesterday, Wonkette wrote about Medina v. Planned Parenthood South Atlantic, which was argued Wednesday in the Supreme Court. If you haven’t been following this case, you may be as surprised as I was to learn that Neil Gorsuch, of all people, may have a sense of humor (alternatively, that may be Robyn inserting her analogy, but it reads like Gorsuch may have actually said it.) No one on the correct side had much hope for this case, given Dobbs, but it’s looking brighter now. Also yesterday, Harry Litman made abut a 20-minute video with Michael Podhorzer about the implications of the Mango Monster’s attack on trad unions which is starting with Federal unions. In that poem we all know now, it was third that they came for the trade unionists. One more thing before tomorrow – Joyce Vance has posted a guide to the Insurrection Act and the rights of peaceful protesters, and whether you want it or not, I thought I’d better make it available.

Colorado Public Radio gives out hope with one hand and takes it away with the other, it appears. Not that it’s quite that simple – since nothing is. I live in Colorado, and my husband has ties to CSU, where this is, and I did not know it existed. One can’t fight for it if one doesn’t know it exists.

This was written for The Contrarian on Wednesday, in the wake of Cory Booker’s record=breaking speech, and the Wisconsin Supreme Court victory, so it may be a little euphoric. But it can’t be denied that these are hopeful signs. As this post is published, people across the nation are gearing up for national protests. SoINeedAName posted in a content that he has registered for one (do protect your ears, Nameless). I wish I were younger and more mobile – but the last protest I managed I was in my late sixties, and now, approaching 80, I just can’t. Those of you who can, give ’em hell.

DU routed me to this article. Can’t find any fraud, so they have to create it? Looks that way.

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Open Thread February 6 2025

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 062025
 

Yesterday, I got the results of my bone density test and was disappointed but not terrible surprised to learn I have osteoporosis. I have no symptoms, but I do have the early signs, such as loss of height. I’ve taken calcium religiously all of my adult life, which may have slowed it down some. I’m sure my new PCP and I can come up with something which will help. Off topic – the reason I had to so the blood draw at a place which was so hard for me to find was not that the place near me was booked up – it was because the place near me was closed for repairs. That lab expects to reopen well before the next blood draw I’m going to need in early April. (I already made the appointment for that one. Apparently hypo- and hyperthyroidism are related to osteoporosis. Who knew? Probably Nameless and possibly Dave, but anyone else would surprise me.)

From The 19th from Monday, but we have a whole month to reflect. And this is real stories from real people, which IMO is always refreshing even if not always victorious.

The link to Brennan Center should work. After I copied it, I tried it and it worked for me. But since it looks like a blanket link to the site, I’ll mention thet the name of the srticle I had in mind is “Breaking the Law” and that it’s in the category “Checks & Balances.”

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Open Thread January 21 2025

 Posted by at 5:53 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 212025
 

Yesterday – Protective pardons, political and family. Tangerine Palpatine orders executive shock and awe, and promises “Golden Age of America” (but I think he means “Gilded II.”) And all of that was before 4:00 pm EST. I signed petitions as many as possible, and skimmed through most of my email. I’m tired already. Even Axios is tired. They didn’t do a new email each time they sent an alert on TSF, just added to the story and updated the old one the earlier one. That’s why only one link for multiple headlines. Oh, and Ceclie Richards died. It was announced in the morning, so at least she escaped before the inauguration. But she’s a great loss.

ProPublica sent the newsletter including this link on Friday. But I figure since TSF was inaugurated just yesterday at noon, he only had a half day anyway, and then there are the inaugural balls. So the headline’s question will not have been answered yet.

This from The F* News, is a list of some of the Biden Administration’s achievements. It isn’t 27 pages long (I have one that is, although it’s somewhat double spaced -I would guess somewhere around 18-20 pages if all the extra spacing was removed; if anyone wants it as a PDF let me know) but is also offers some of the reasoning behind its choices, and sorts them into categories rather then just listing by date. So they both may be keepers.

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Open Thread January 14 2025

 Posted by at 6:06 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 142025
 

Yesterday, it occurred to me that the name Zuckerberg – with just a little bit of license – translates to “Big Rock Candy Mountain.” I couldn’t even begin to count the possible disrespectful jokes that could be gotten out of that. Also yesterday, the story which was yanked last week did get published, and I went to the new link, and it is working. Here it is. You can see why I jumped to the conclusion I did. It’s very frank.

The Reich on the left is right again. I, and progressives and liberals I am aware of, generally have positive impressions of universities, nonprofits, and labor unions. The media is in a different position. But allowing media, however imperfect, to be destroyed by The new administration’s lawsuits and other attacks is not the solution. And that goes multiple times for small and independent media, who are as much more likely to promote truth as they are to come under attack. I know I probably sound like an obsolete “broken record,” but go over to Substack, see the many people who are posting there, and if you find someone or some two or so whom you respect (and preferably whom I am not regularly citing, to broaden yourself,) sign up for a free subscription. That costs nothing but time – and knowledge is priceless.

(Edited just before midnight to add link to Jack Smith’s Volume #1 (Jan 6)

Robert Hubbell debunks all the lies being pushed by MAGA about the Los Angeles wildfire(s). Unfortunately, the LA Times, now MAGA-billionaire-owned, is widely spreading them anyway. Was it Mark Twain who said “a lie can get halfway around the world wile truth is still putting its pants on”? Or is he just one of the many to whom it has been mis-attributed? Also, you might appreciate, if you have any past or present connection to California, his next rant is here.

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Open Thread January 13 2025

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 132025
 

Yesterday, Virgil and  enjoyed each other’s company and also cribbage. We had another almost brand new deck – there was one little tear in one card, but they we so slick they were sliding. Getting there, now – that was a challenge. The roads, including the interstate were still slippery, even though asphalt underneath was mostly visible and the snow and ice which hadn’t melted was already wet enough that just driving in traffic splashed enough water into the air, and that water picked up so much dust, for a while there I was spraying cleaning fluid onto my windshield about every other mile. Going home was easier – although I had to stop for gas – my own fault – I had dealt with the snow on the car windows by running the engine for an hour with the heater on high. Had I spent the hour brushing and scraping, I couldn’t have gotten them nearly as clear, and I would have worn myself out and likely sprained something. I know that from long experience including a couple of fender-benders. But even going home took over an hour – getting there was closer to two hours. It wasn’t even that big a storm, and the sun was out and melting stuff all day, but the temperature never got above 32°F (0°C). OK, I’ll stop whining now and concentrate on getting this post up.

Wonkette referred me to this Mother Jones article on climate. So Republicans again are deliberately creating a mess for Democrats to clean up later so they can make another mess. Not news. But the details will be new – since the world has not has a worldwide climate crisis before, or I should say, while the human race was alive and recording history.

Heather Cox Richardson posted this summary of the California wildfires, with a concentration on the lies of the Apricot Antichrist and his supporters, late last Wednesday night, so it’s not new. But it’s a convenient summary up to that point. They’ve probably invented some new lies by now. (Off topic and not in this post – but she plays cribbage with her husband too!  Except they play “killer cribbage” whereas we play “patience with the bad vision and bad memory” cribbage.)

 

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