YesterdayI thought I had my in person follow up with my new PCP and discovered I was off a day (after trying and failing to book a taxi.) Hopefully I can make it today. We shall see.
Heck, I could have told this. You probably could have also. If you ae depending on someone to keep a promise, just “in writing” isn’t enough. It has to be signed under oath, witness, and certified or notsrized by someone legally authorized to certify or notarized. And you, the person who is requiring it, are the person who gets yto keep the original = the signator may keep a copy only. That’s just for starters – I’m not trying to imply that Joyce’s explanation isn’t fuller – becuse it is.
Wolves and Sheep addresses the war and how the Mango Moron’s decision-making habits are affecting it – and other things he touches.
Talking Points Memo in how Markwayne Mullen is seeking and finding people to prosecute under the anti-Antifa executive order.
Yesterday, I got an email from Colorado Public Radio sharing that my Attorney General (who is also running for Governor) is all in on Colorado joining the redistricting war for the midterms. God, I love this guy. Also yesterday, I tripped over a post from a DUer who has been suffering extreme pain, and just found out that for all that time he has been suffering from shingles with no rash (only dxed because a very small rash just turned up) He is up to date on his shingles vaccinations, too, but his PCP says it’s possible to get it anyway. I think this should be more wisely known. Shingles pain can make non-suicidal people consider (and for all I know, commit) suicide.
Per Heather Cox Richandson, “NBC News reported [last Thursday] that Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s rush to get new recruits onto the street has meant they have pushed into their training program more than 200 people who have disqualifying criminal backgrounds, fail drug testing, or don’t meet the academic or physical requirements.” I’m less worried about the physical requirements, and even the drug testing (which is not perfect – and the federal Government is a little nutty about drug use) and academic requirements (I suspect we all know someone who is a highly educated idiot), but the past criminal record issue bothers me, particularly for a group which is openly looking for male white supremacists, the most under-prosecuted group in the US. And don’t stop with this quote. There’s more.
Metamucillini is wrong (no surprise there) and Canada is correct (no surprise there either). Ronald Reagan did indeed speak negatively of tariffs, and Wonkette has the reveipts in the form of a video. If you already know if this, and our dictator’s reaction, you may want to go to the link anyway to see the “tantrum gif” which may give you a smile or even a chuckle.
No, I don’t actually need any more reasons than we already have to despise the Washington Post (or Amazon, for that matter.) I am guessing that the 1800 block of E Street SE in DC is experiencing earth tremors as Sousa spins in his grave, wishing he had named that march “The Washington Monument” instead of for the Post.
Guest video from Robert Reich
Yes, I shop at King Soopers, which is Kroger. But my only alternatives are Safeway which is Albertson’s, and Walmart – which is Walmart. I’ve boycotted Walmart since it was created. After the Albertson’s=Kroger merger was denied by the courts, Albertson’s had the gall to sue Kroger for breach of contract – but that was only my last straw. I also cannot trust Safeway to follow my delivery instructions which are necessary to keep me safe (it was while taking in [I should say trying to take in] a delivery order from Safeway that I experienced the fall – two years ago tomorrow – which put me in the hospital. Incidentally, at least here, King Soopers runs its sales from Wednesday through Tuesday regularly. So I don’t shop on Tuesday for Wednesday delivery ,although one can re-check the prices on line.) Sometimes they’ll have a special, shorter, sale, such as over a weekend, but their advertising always makes that clear. And the sale tags on the shelves – the last I looked – it’s been years since I went to a store in person – always had (I grant in fine print) an end date for the sale on them. So many people today have smartphones – it really is worth it for people who have a smartphone and shop in store to open a web account and tie it to the actual store they shop at so they can compare the price on the shelf to the price on the website.
Yesterday, a video of a conversation between Andrew Weissman and Jack Smith was getting attention, including from me. The total time on it is an hour and almost 20 minutes. But at the beginning, the first 6 minutes and 20 seconds are the UCL spokesperson giving Weissman’s resume, and after that, Weissman gives Smith’s resume and then asks him about it, and, to a degree, ethical type questions about, e.g., how a righteous prosecution can be determined. My interest is primarily in the Trump**(*) cases, as I suppose is everyone’s here. Given a choice, I would start watching at the 34:43 mark when Andrew asks Jack to explain “special counsel.” But you could certainly wait until about the 42:00 mark. Either way cuts it down significantly
This from Common Dreams is a piece of analysis, and a fairly deep one at that. If you don’t find it helpful, that’s OK. I’m not crazy myself about how the author uses “Israel” as shorthand for “the government of Israel,” but I ay be oversensitive because I too now live in a country whose governmen does horrible things not supported by all the people.
Yes, I realize Politico is iffy. But they seem to be the ones who did the reporting which everyone else is citing as evidence of just how much trouble we are in. And Politico and everyone who is citing them may in fact be underestimating.
Research from The Conversation. It makes no sense to me, and it probably won’t to you either. But to me the key question, which is missing from the article, is what can we do about it? Can education help immunize people against it? Or is it somehow an inborn trait?
Yesterday, I couldn’t get back to sleep and ended up getting up early. It would be nice if I had therefore accomplished more than usual, but I’m afraid I didn’t, except for maybe a little knitting.
Steve Schmidt is correct. Stephen Miller doesn’t generally worry about saying the quiet part out loud, or anything outrageous. He shows his hate freely. If Steve is correct as to what happened, and I don’t know why he wouldn’t be, then what was said before the cutoff should indeed be truly terrifying.
Other outlets have covered this situation, and there’s been a lot said about it (for instance, at Democratic Underground, where the point was made that, in the past, when the Speaker was “not available”, new members have been sworn in by a Supreme Court justice). But this is the deepest dive I have seen.
Wonkette addresses the issue of federal employees ever getting paid after the shutdown. With any sane President, this would never have been ab issue. But then, if we had a sane President, we likely would not be in a shutdown.
Guest video from Robert Reich – because he requested it be shared.
Yesterday, the radio opera was “Samson” by Jean Philippe Rameau, a composer of the baroque era. I Have see/heard one complete opera by Rameau – a comic one – “Platée” – which is a very funny comedy. I’m not sure I can really honestly say I have heard “Samson” now – the libretto (by Voltaire) is intact (all the versions), but the music has been lost and not yet found (and may never be), so this score was reconstructed from drafts, and from later operas Rameau may have recycled music from this one into. The opera was not heard in Rameau’s lifetime, and in fact has never been performed until this production. The censors of that time would not allow an opera on a “religious” subject and the wealth of non-Bibilical stuff Voltaire concocted would not budge them an inch. And, of course, it was Voltaire, whose opposition to the church was notorious. (now, next wek, the opera will be “The Shining” from the Lyric Opera of Kansas City. Who knew?) Off to see Virgil now – will check in on return.
https://www.wonkette.com/p/judge-chutkans-got-your-weekend-reading
Wonkette shares links to all four volumes (totalling 1889 pages) of the appendices released Friday. They are redacted but mostly the redactions are names. Many are identifiable.
https://19thnews.org/2024/10/latinx-artists-storytellers-border-narratives/
Last Tuesday was the last day of Hispanic Heritage Month – but this story from the 19th wasn’t available until Wednesday so I just held it till now. You know, all these people coming from countries south of us are doing so because our politics, our CIA, enabled terrible leaders to become strong in their own countries and by so doing made life hell for them. Now we are still making life hell for them by keeping them out. I’m sure there is a bad parenting analogy like this – something like bringing a child up to despise him or herself and then as adults locking the child up to prevent him or her from seeking psychiatric care. If you can imagine and phrase it better, please do. At least there are now creative artists doing their best to bring healing and we can be grateful for that.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2024-election/trump-election-chaos-detroit-misinformation-rcna174091
This was referred by Talking Points Memo, which also vouches for the quality of the journalism of the two co-authors. i guess I hope it scares you enough but not too much.
Yesterday, I learned (and I may be late to the party, but I think not, since this is so damning) that Sheldon White house (God bless him) has released a report that during the Kavanaugh confirmation, the FBI didn’t even see the content the thousands of tips called in, because all calls were redirected to the White House. Meanwhile, Axios reports that Democrats have initiateed a llawsuit against the FEC for allowing the GOP to put out ads which are not just morally but also legally questionable. Also, for a while now Steve Schmidt has been sounding increasingly nervous because Kamala Harris has not been as forceful as he would like to see. But her interview with Bret Baier on Fox appears to have satisfied him. Finally, I think this is the first time I have seen Belle pissed off. Personally I found it both amusing and inspiring. See what you think.
I have been aware for some time that Rolling Stone, though not the first name most people thing of when the phrase “news outlet” comes up, does do journalism, much of it on subjects other news media won’t touch,some of it outstanding. I just never went there till now. Maybe I thought I’d be paywalled, and maybe if I go to the well too often I will be. But i was able to see this story. You know, back in ancient Greece and Rome, and even up into the Middle Ages, European rulers literally did kill the messenger who brought bad news. I thought humanity had grown beyond that by now – I suppose the pandenic should have given me a clue.
This is perhaps an extreme example, but it is an example of what Republican policies of starving the government so they can drown it in a bathtub will always lead to. But you knew that. Although you may not have expected to see quite so blatantly it in real time.
OK, I realize this post is getting crowded, but trust me, you do not want to miss the letter which former Governor of Georgia (who is now a lawyer representing Fani Willis personally and professionally) wrote to Jim Jordan. Joyce Vance publishes a photo and describes it as “civil discourse with a little twist of bless your heart attached.” (I magnified it to 500% just to see what it looked like and it’s still very legible, just a bit blurred.)
Yesterday, I went to see Virgil. Going down there were a few scattered showers – not enough to keep the wipers going – and it also stayed overcast enough I didn’t need to wear sunglasses. Again, we played cribbage in our way – had quite a variety of good hands, middlind hands, and awful hands,more or less evenly divided between us. I can’t be sure, since we do’t keep running totals, but it felt prettty equal no me. Coming back, the sun was out, and I needed to shield the driver’s side window, and that worked. I nuked a leftoer meat from a crockpot made a while ago and the leftovers frozen. I’m calling it Chicken Marengo – although there is in fact no standard recipe forChicken Marengo, and its legen id fake, asthechefwho is supposed to have rsustled it up was not present at the battle. (The fact that there’s so much fake history floating around really makes me appreciate people like Heather Cox Richardson who set things straight.)
And speaking of fake history – though I nonlonger subscribe to Mother Jones, one of my other sources recommended this article, and when I read it, I kind of said “Wow!” Getting to the truth is much harder when people who are actively pushing a myth are fighting you every step of the way – and having found truth, getting it out so everyone knows is even harder.
The line TPM cites in its headline is not the only line they are intentionally blurring. They are also blurring the one between citizenship and the lack of citizenship. Y’know, Paul (in the Bible) was a Roman citizen. He mentions this in one of the Epistles, and basically says anyone who has enough money can buy (Roman) citizenship (“At a great price I obtained this freedom.”) Is this what we are coming to if Trump** and MAGAts win, not just the Presidency, but majorities in Congress?
We all know, or I hope we do, that the stock market and the economy are two different things – two very different things. But you wouldn’t know that by talking with investors – or with Republicans. But the person who can explain it best may well be Robert Reich. And that may well be because he looks at the economy as it pertains to reality, including real people, specifically real workers, as opposed to looking at the economy as pieces of paper with numbers on them
Yesterday, I learned there’s a new Randy Rainbow out. I also learned Randy has a sponsor now. I have doctored the URL to omit it – but I might point out that it is “Ground News,” which Trae Crowder has also accepted as a sponsor, so you know it’s going to be a reliable source. If you want the coupon, you can start it at the beginning. The parody is of “The farmer and the cowman should be friends,” from “Pklahoma,”which also is about division, so very appropriate. Here’s the link. With that accomplished, I also requested to schedule a donation pickup – and got today for a date. Well, I was ready; all I needed to do was move the chair I want to keep away from the boxes, and put out a note. Since I was going out to the porch anyway, I replaced my “No solicitation” sign, which was getting pretty worn, and put up a new one (if you are on our Mitch’s email list you probably saw it) “Warning! Retired person on premises. Knows everything and has plenty of time to tell it.”
Brooke Binkowski is new at Wonkette. She is a “counterdisinformationist*. In this article she addresses what counterdisinformation is and why it differs from fact-checking and debunking (both of which are also in her CV.) Even though she writes with Wonkette’s trademark irreverence (Rebecca appears to have a knack for hiring people who take to irreverence like ducks to water) some of her suggestions are quite doable. Of course, the more successful one is at it, the more likely one is to start receiving death threats, so take that into consideration too.
There’s a great deal wrong with people who to remove from society those wom they believe to be the “underclass.” But the one thing that may make them the most likely to rethink this is to point out that, without the “underclass,” they would have to clean their own toilets, scrub their own floors, at the very least harvest, and possibly also grow, their own food – and on and on. No, he’s not running for PResident – yet – but as an adviser th JD Vance, if Republicans win, he could still see the inside of the White House.
