Open Thread June 1 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 012025
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” One of two operas based on Beaumarchais’s trilogy which caused somuch scandal inits day by dissing the aristocracy (They barely made it past the censors.) The other is Mozart’s “Figaro’s Wedding.” There have been numerous attempts at operas intended to get the third play, “La Mère coupable,” into the repertory. So far John Corigliano has come the closest, with his “The Ghosts of Versailles.” It has received a fair number of performances (including one in Los Angeles with Patti Lupone in the role which Marilyn Horne created), but it’s not really in the repertory yet. But I digress. The story in “Barber” is how Count Almaviva courted Rosina with help from Figaro and even more from Rosina, in spite of opposition from her guardian, who wanted to marry her himself – the last thing she wanted. The cast appears to be from all over, and unknown to me, but I never saw or heard a performance I didn’t enjoy. I will say there’s only one tenor who has ever given me chills at the end when the count, his character, threatens the guardian and his sidekick with the Italian 18th-19th century version of “Nice life you’ve got. Be too bad if anything happened to it,” and that was a fellow named Rockwell Blake who must have just leaned on his white privilege. It’s kind of a plot point, so it’s unfortunate more tenors can’t do it. Anyway, I’m off to see Virgil and will check in as usual upon return.

This is good news for a number of reasons, and probably different reasons for different people. For me, there’s the factor that Yosemite means so much to me.

Not exactly news, but definitely good. Even though it’s blue, I can’t always be proud of my state. I can about this.

Kermit the Frog‘s graduation address at the University of Maryland (ending with The Rainbow Connection” and the presentation to Kermit of a Citation from the Governor.) I did not set out to do an double-frog post, honest. (Off topic, but the best-known orange frog will kill you.)

We’ll never know for sure why Harvard picked this moment to back fown on this – but from where I sit, it looks as though being attacked by a corrupt administration has provided a sense of proportion previously masked by privilege.

Randy Trump Derangement (That’s Entertainment) I clipped the ad, but if you want the whole enchilada you can go to YouTube.

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Open Thread May 29 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 292025
 

Yesterday, Various people were still talking about Scott Pelley’s commencement speech at Wake Forest, mostly in glowing terms (although I’m sure MAGAts had other opinions.) Wonkette linked to a transcript of it, so you can judge for yourself. I think it’s worth the time. Also, the Nature Conservancy shared aome footage on the mating rituals of the greater prairie-chicken, including sound. It’s funny, because it’s kind of a little allegory of males of every species – or so it appeared to me and Trinette. You may not agree.

Yes, this from Joyce Vance is from Tuesday. She is concerned that it isn’t (or wasn’t then) getting much if any coverage, and she may still be correct about that.

John Pavlovitz would be the first to tell you that he struggles with major depression (and, yes he has sought and received treatment for it, with all that implies. If you’re not familiar with the concept of the wounded healer, you can look at him and get an idea.) So the current regime is terribly hard on him – as of course it is on us. But, as he points out, joyis not just feeling good – it is also a weapon- a defensive weapon, but still a weapon.

Not really news from the Brennan Center – at least, not to anyone with two brain cells to rub together. But not being news does not mean it isn’t still a problem, especially since we have a modern Roger Taney SCOTUS.

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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 26 2025

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 262025
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by. I didn’t have enough trash to bother with, but she took out my recycling. I also had some stuff for the food bank where she volunteers. We chatted about a lot of stuff, including the holiday – her family has a lot of veterans – just not in the youngest generation. I would take that as a good sign, were it not for the current regime. I knew that I would find misogyny n the military, but I also knew I would find equal pay for equal work, and also equal respect from the top. The military was one of the few employers then where one could be confident of that. Sure, there were racist and misogynist individuals – but where are there not? But today I could not honestly recommend the military to anyone. I hope eventually we can reverse that. I hope your Memorial day is everything you want it to be.

I had to learn this from a VoteVets email – my search engine shows that others have covered it, but no one I get updates from. Although the New York Times is one, so y’all may have seen it. There’s a meme “every time a ‘Christian’ praises Trump**(*), an angel loses its lunch.” I wonder how many angels lost their lunch over this.

Now this from Wonkette actually caused me to say “Jesus Christ and all his disciples, what’s next?” And that was just the headline. I knew – I think we all knew – that Nancy Mace was a POS, but this is above and beyond.

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Open Thread May 24 2025

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 242025
 

Yesterday, it was a news-heavy Friday – and with the MAGA habit of breaking crap on Friday afternoons and evenings, it may not even have been over when I posted. Anything I missed will have to wait until next week. I do sometimes need time for dealing with clutter. And I am sorry, but I will not cover the “crypto dinner.” It’s been covered enough.

Trust Robert Reich to take a document this big and make a cogent summary of it in terms that are easy to understand, And also to find and point out the big surprise.  (which we probably don’t need quite as much as low-information voters do, but I for one appreciate.)

I could not pick just one of these articles from The Contrarian – so I’m posting the full list. Hopefully one or more will speak to y’all.

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Open Thread May 22 2025

 Posted by at 6:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 222025
 

Yesterday, while looking for a cartoon for today (a specific one), I found trove of older cartoons and memes, many of which are not old at all. For instance, does anyone remember (I didn’t) that the Cantaloupe Caligula expressed interest in buying Greenland as early as 2019? I didn’t. But he did. Incidentally, the third asterisk in parentheses when I use the name Trump**(*) is because articles of impeachment have actually been filed. Not that they will go anywhere, but they have. I admit I jumped the gun a little and added it when they had only been drafted and not yet filed – but they did get filed, so I have no regrets. Also yesterday, the Brennan Center reported that Rikers Island ‘s penal complex has been put into receivership by a Federal judge. And one more thing: Rep Gerry Connolly (D-VA) died from esophageal cancer. I looked up Virginia law, and there will be a special election called by the Governor. The law does not specify a time frame.

I’m back to working a little ahead, which means my selections will be a little behind. I hope that isn’t too annoying. At least this from Talking Points Memo covers multiple topics (all important) so there’s a chance you may not have seen one or two.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/stop-asking-about-a-biden-cover-up
This by Robert Reich is not really addressed to us, but to the media, and particularly to wingnut media. As such, it’s probably already doomed. It may give us some ammunition, if any of us has a platform from which to use it. Persnally, I will put on record, and would happily do so anywhere, any time, my evidence-backed opinion that a demented Joe Biden would be a better President than Trump**(*) in perfect mental health and 20 years younger.

I would not be a bit surprised if this news got buried, and in fact considering the circumstances – all the circumstances – it’s probably not all that big a story. But you gotta love Wonkette‘s headline. (I am not blind to the possibility of dangerous consequences from it, but it’s still funny.)

This is a bonus video from Talking Feds. Harry analyzes in detail the events regarding the arrest of Mayor Baraka and the charge against Congresswoman McIver in New Jersey – and what a mess* it really is. The vid is about 26 minutes because it doesn’t leave any issues out.
*When I was in the USMC, we had a racist expression for this which I won’t repeat. “SNAFU,” even “FUBB,” don’t really do it justice, though. Maybe “circle jerk”?

Belle empty ports

Dog

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Open Thread May 19 2025

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 202025
 

Yesterday, Virgil and I played cribbage (I know – What a surprise!)  As usual, we got a wide variety of hands. It seemed like I was counting for him more than usual today – but that’s just a feeling and may be wrong.  We were definitely glad to see each other. particularly since I wasn’t able to see him two weeks ago, so we hadn’t seen each other for a month.  We had communicated through phone calls.  Fortunately, since this is Colorado and not, say, Mississippi, phone calls are cheap.  From the traffic, especially going home, you would have thought that Memorial Day weekend was this week, instead of next, which it actually is.  But when we got to the Pikes Peak International Raceway exit, a bunch of cars got off, so maybe they were having something ho on and that’s all it was.

Heather Cox Richardson discusses something I’ve been thinking. The Turmeric Tyrant thinks he wants to be king, maybe even an emperor. If he only knew how restricted actual kings and queens are today, he wouldn’t. And if his family knew how restricted royal families are, they wouldn’t want him to either. In almost every country that still has a king or queen, it is a legislative body – a Parliament – which has the real power. The monarch essentially does what he or she is told. And, as for families, they are the only ones who really have to defer to the monarch. I mean things like princesses can’t even choose their own lipstick. Anyone dining with the monarch must stand up and leave the table when the Monarch does, whether on not they have eaten their fill. Not that that is law – but it is court etiquette with the force of law if you are in the court. And they can’t be idle. They have to work (unless they are for some reason disqualified), generally for some charity or cause. They do get some choice – Diana, a former schoolteacher, worked for children’s welfare. Charles, when Prince of Wales, worked for historical preservation (the British Antiques Roadshow admired him.) Harry worked for the climate. Americans who say that the UK or other countries with a king or queen “should get rid of the monarchy” have no idea what they are talking about. Dictators, on the other hand, are “elected.” they may be sham elections compared to what ours are supposed to be like and in many states still are – pressures on voters here are not from the Government – yet. Apparently after our Revolution, when Europe saw the system was working pretty well, European countries started slowly shaping their governments to work more like it. I can’t think of a European country where a king or queen has unlimited power.

The F*ing News – irony may be dead (although I’ll never believe it), but sarcasm is very much alive.

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Open Thread May 17 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 172025
 

Yesterday, an email I received from a PAC supporting Social Security informed me that “Musk claimed that millions of dead people were collecting Social Security benefits, and that 40% of all phone calls to Social Security’s 800 number were scams. Musk’s DOGE implemented a new system to catch this fraud, and now, the results are in. Out of over 110,000 new claims made by phone, TWO were found to be likely fraudulent. That’s not 40%. That’s 0.0018%. What’s worse is, Musk’s system slowed down each of those new claims by about 25%.” I am not surprised, and neither are you. But it’s nice to have numbers. Also yesterday, the trailer about the documentary about Robert Reich was released. And finally, the Supreme Court said to the regime (to paraphrase The Contrarian) stop trying to circumvent the system and start following the law. Seven to two. We shall see.

I saw this elsewhere first, but Joyce Vance, as a former Federal prosecutor is more knowledgeable than the other article. They did go to the trouble of a grand jury, which I would have expected them to attempt to skip. I don’t actually think it’s a good sign.

This was also published elsewhere … but Harry Litman saw it in the Atlantic, so that (the archived version with no paywall) is what I am linking to. It’s by J. Michale Luttig, who is one of the last of the generation of Republicans who were wrong about economics but still had honor. We saw him testify to the January 6 committee, and we’ve seen him a few times since also. You won’t be able tolisten to it here if you prefer listening – if you subscrive to the Atlantic, you can listen to it there. I hope it reaxhes at least some of the audience for whom it is meant, which isn’t really us. But it’s factual and well written.

 

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