Open Thread January 28 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 282026
 

Yesterday was Holocaust Remembrance Day, which I missed putting up a visual for. I tried to feel bad about missing it, but the truth is, that under our current regime, to me every day is Holocaust Remembrance Day. Also, several emails informed me that Alexander Vindman is running for a Senate seat in Florida. (His twin Eugene represents Virginia’s 7th District already). This may not be the suicide mission it looks like at first glance, but it’s not a walk in the park either. I may have to sign up as a monthly donor.

This may be the sickest thing I’ve heard about from this regime which didn’t involve direct physical violence – yet. Eagle County is not as close to me as it looks on this map, since it is up in the mountains of which I am on the eastern edge, and while there are roads up there, there are no direct routes to just about anything. But it still feels too close.

From Common Dreams – When the Saffron Sauron started bombing fishing boats in the Caribbean, claiming that they were Venezuelan drug mules, I would have bet good money that at least some of them were not even Venezuelan, let alone drug mules. And I would have won. Two families in Trinidad are now suing us for wrongful death of their relatives in one of those bombings. And hoo boy, do they ever have lawyers. Human lives may be no more important that insects to this regime, but these insects had families which will sting him. I just wish the money that will change hands would come from MAGA billionaires and not from us taxpayers.

From Axios, this is an article about an essay written by an AI CEO who seems almost as worried as I am about the potential for misuse, whether due to human naivete or human corruption. The article links to the full essay, but I felt both needed to be archived for readability.

Share

Open Thread January 26 2026

 Posted by at 5:49 am  Politics
Jan 262026
 

Yesterday, I put most of my day into a comment on yesterday’s thread, hoping to be able to post what I had already tentatively picked out without much editing. And here it is

This from Chris Bowers is exactly why we can just forget about the 25th Amendment. It was not written for the situation which we have. Impeachment comes closer to the situation we have, but – as we should have learned from his first term – it’s not in fact close enough. If we really want him out, we need an amendment which authorizes a recall election. The kind of recall election where we vote, not just for recxall, but for one of a handful or so of candidates to replace him. (Or her. Sometime in the 23rd or 24th century, we MAY just possibly be able to elect a woman. Or not.) Also, it can’t be Congress which authorizes such an election. It would have to be initiated by the people somehow. And it would have to be a general election so that everyone could vote. And if you think that’s going to happen – I’m confident that it won’t in my lifetime. Even if I live to be 100, which I don’t expect. The 25th was not designed or intended for a situation like Fascism. It was designed for situationd more like Woodrow Wilson (though it was far too late for that one – or at the present, for something more like the Canteloupe Caligula’s “annual physicals” which appear to happen every month or so. Either the 25th needs to be amended, or it needs to be replaced, or we just need a new and separate Amendment. (Or a recall election.)

I didn’t even know that Gavin Newsom spoke at DAVOS – there was so much focus on Mark Carney and on the Saffrom Sauron. That’s too bad. Newsom’s speech is a lot more fun than any of the other speeches.

This from the 19th refers to ICE, but it might be one or more Border Patrol agents. They are often mixed in to ICE occupations.

Share

Open Thread January 24 2025

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 242026
 

Yesterday, We did get some snow – not a lot, but some. And we’re due to get more today. After the opera, I’ll need to go out and look at it, and maybe try to brush or scrape some off before overnight. Not that the predicted temperatures are in my favor, but anything I can manage to do to alleviate it has got to help.

Common Dreams addresses ICE’s use of children as “bait” to trap their parents, and then keeping the children detained anyway.

Robert Reich posts the photo of one child (Liam, aged 5) alluded to above. He then discusses the responses to some questions he asked readers about what the most effective strategy would be to resist.

Joyce Vance discusses the Fourth Amendment and the blatant violations of it which ICE is committing. Sorry I don’t include any of my own opinions with these articles – but they wouldn’t be printable.

Share

Open Thread January 21 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 212026
 

Yesterday, I slept quite late, but also took in a grocery order – a huge one – which I might not have had the strength to cope with otherwise. As it is, I didn’t get it all put away – just the perishables – and was rxhausted.

This is from Sunday’s Politizoom newsletter. but I don’t think it has lost any of its humor over those three days.

Currently, 96¢ of every dollar the government receives in tariffs is being paid either by us, or by businesses which are able (for now) to suck it up to avoid loss of custom (same source, different article). I suppose the only reason no one ever thought of this before is that no one figured out how to do it. After all, billionaires also have to eat, use the bathroom, and wear clothes just like the rest of us. But Zucman appears to have a plan which might work.

I’ve never expected anything good – or anything true – to come out of Davos. All those billionaires together – who but another billionaire would expect anything good? But – apparently – Canada is the adult in the room of the western hemisphere. I never mind if people skip things – but I hope no one will skip this.

Share

Open Thread January 19 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 192026
 

Yesterday, The Root had a trivia piece on MLK Jr which went deeper than I’ve ever seen before. You might enjoy it. TomCat was a close enough friend of his the he might have known all or most of it – even I knew some of it, but a lot of it was news to me. With four articles today, I’m skipping the political video – but not the animal video. Also, Trinette was by to help me take out trash (and recyclables.)

Joyce Vance discusses the Insurrection Act, including how to recognize bait when we see it, and why we should not take it.

Robert Hubbell addresses specific misconceptions about the Insurrection Act (and there are many floating around.)

Wikipedia lists every time the Insurrection Act has been invoked, both legally and illegally. It appears to me – and feel free to disagree – that every time it has been invoked, the civil rights of vulnerable people were being attacked – and the sometimes the invocation intervened on the right side, and sometimes on the wrong side. If the Saffron Sauron invokes it, it is certain to be on the wrong side.

Robert Reich addresses what can be done about it, who can actually do that. and what we can do to help, mostly by adding pressure.

Share

Open Thread January 18 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 182026
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Carmen” by George Bizet. There’s not much I don’t know about Carmen (although I did learn something today from the tenor in an intermission interview, he pointed out that Carmen never tells Jose she loves him. And he is 100% correct. She implies it once or twice, and says it to others, but never says it to him.) I played first chair second violin in a student production when I was studying music (I didn’t play it well, despite the work I put in, both practicing and listening) but I did play it, and the production was a success in spite of me. I’ve heard and seen so many productions I can’t remember them all. I’ve seen the movie “Carmen Jones” (in which Marilyn Horne sang for Dorothy Dandridge.) If I can’t get to sleep on account od an earworm, there’s probably about a 30% chance it’s from Carmen. A couple of seasons ago the Met put it on with a French mezzo and the announcers were excited to hear it, I presume because Bizet was French. But no one in Carmen is French. Carmen, her two gal pals, and the leaders of the smugglers, and part of the time the chorus, are Romani. Everyone else is Spanish (Jose and Micaela (and if so, Jose) may have been Basque, or may not.) The only thing in the opera which sounds remotely French is the “Flower Song,” and Carmen doesn’t sing that – Jose does. Yesterday’s Carmen was Aigul Akhmetshina, who is Bashkir – not Romani, but the Bashkir people were nomadic at one time. In the absence of any mezzos who are Romani, I’m more excited by this. Also yesterday, I received an email informing me that the trauma combat surgeon who saved the life of Tammy Duckworth in Iraq is now running for Congress in New Jersey. He joins a record number of medical and scientific professionals who are doing the same.

High School students come through for a single mother in Virginia.

Putting this on Sunday because it made Andy proud.

“Colorado Chooses Vaccines is a broad, statewide coalition of healthcare providers, public health leaders, and community organizations working together to protect vaccine access and trust.” from the coalition’s website. I’m proud of Colorado for doing this. And of Coloradans like Carol Boigon don’t let physical disabilities stand in the way of their public service.

Share

Open Thread January 16 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 162026
 

Yesterday, the snow in my back yard didn’t all disappear, though it did disappear on the northern half. The southern half showed patches of the growth underneath the snow, but they amounted to less than half of the area, Joyce Vance did a Substack video with Mark Elias, and she highly recommended his Substack “Democracy Docket,” so I’m giving it a try. He is involved in a lot of anti-regime litigation and therefore someone we should know exists, which does not necessarily mean we should read everything he writes. I’ll follow this up. Also, I learned that Malcolm Nance is going to Greenland to work with NATO training exercises with military from NATO countries. And Robert Reich informed me that the Saffron Sauron threatens to invoke the insurrection act in Minneapolis. And the frosting on the cake is that Maria Machado gave her Nobel Prize to the Apricot Antichrist (I assume  just the medal, not the money.) And then there’s this. Theater of War productions are known for using well known actors to perform – at least they are well known if you watch cable – which I don’t. But I know these people – who are not professional actors, but are lot more interesting than actors IMO. Take a look. It doesn’t say whether it will be Zoomed or otherwise digitally broadcast. Generally their events are Zoomed live (which would be at 5:00 here, 6:00 Central) and one also needs to register in advance ,with Zoom. I’ll follow up and share what I find, if anything.

I’m not sure I’d call what Common Dreams calls “mockery,” mockery. I’m more inclined to call it pure evil.

The saddest thing about this is that Robert Reich believes (rightly) that there are people who need to be told it because they can’t figure it out themselves. Perhaps our species needs renaming – “sapiens” just doesn’t seem to fit any more (if indeed it ever did). Having checked Google translate, may I suggest “homo stolidus”?

Once again, I am reminded by this article from The Root of Igor Stravinsky in Germany witnessing the brutal beating of a Jew by Gestapo going to a court to report it, only to be told by the Judge “In Germany today, such things happen every minute.”

Granted, I’m late with this video. But at least it’s still January – and we may need reminding now more than we did on the first or second.

Share

Open Thread January 14 2025

 Posted by at 1:56 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 142026
 

Yesterday, Adam Klasfeld along with Vicki Ward did a live broadcast and saved it as a video which can be seen here. I’m not telling you to watch it, because it’s a full hour, and I know not everyone can. But it covers everything. They start with the Mangione cases (did you know there were two, a federal one and a state one in Pennsylvania? I didn’t), and also discuss the Maduro case and the murder in Minnesota, and Lindsey Halligan (whose deadline to explain to the judge is today) and Jerome Powell, and Judge Hellerstein, and I’m probably leaving something out. That is a lot to cover in an hour. (P.S. Here‘s the follow-up on Halligan)

Archived from the Washington Post, referred by Talking points Memo, here is an overview of all the ways the Saffron Sauron is looking to ratfuck the midterms. I have no idea how this got past Bezos, but apparently, it did. And I’m citing it – all of it (and it has chapters, sort of.) Perhaps every state (and territory, if applicable) should assign their own National Guard right now to monitor elections in November. I would suggest calling in UN observers, but ICE would probably deport them.

Mary Trump discusses how to navigate the floods of discouraging and increasing overreach from the Executive Branch and how to avoid giving them what they want

Matt Kerbel (who, along with Chris Bowers, comprises Bowers News Network) discusses “Consent of the Governed.” and why, despite havin won the election (by a sliver) this “President” doesn’t have it.

Dogs

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries