Open Thread July 3 2026

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Blog News, Personal, Religion
Jul 032026
 

Yesterday, as every day since February 28, I watched Malcolm Nance’s “warcast” (or in this case “moolahcast.”) I always keep CC on. At one point Malcolm said, as clear as day, “Strait of Hormuz.” The CC said “straight of hormones.” Does AI have a sense of humor? I would find that absolutely terrifying. The rest of the cast was anything but funny. International oil is curently priced artifically low. We – the US – have been selling from our strategic reserve. We – and the world – can expect to hit tank bottom between July and October . There’s talk of us going into Lebanon to work with the Lebanese and Israeli armies to disarm Hezbollah. This could be Afghanistan all over again, with possibly even worse casualties.

Tomorrow, to celebrate, Adam Klasfeld is going to do a Substack video in which he simply reads aloud the concurring opinion of Justice Jackson in the Birthright Citizenship case. It doesn’t need to be watched live – I almost never watch them live – within an hour after a Substack video ends, a recording of it comes up. I’ll put a link in a comment when it’s available which you are welcome to ignore. Adam says that it is very moving – and that even Justice Roberts’s opinion is moving, but not quite moving enough to read aloud. He intends to start at 1 pm Eastern, so I would think it would be available as a recording by about 3 pm Eastern.

This is Talking Points Memo‘s morning memo from Monday – yes, it’s late – covers a variety of topics and enough of the sections are still accurate that I went ahead with it. Particularly the first one, about the White House Religious Liberty Commission Report.

This story was referenced by Dekleptocracy with no source link, and it took me a while to find a respectable one. I don’t know whether Price has responded – but I would not believe a word from him. He is a Trump**(*) ally.

This is a Substack video from JoJo from Jerz, with blistering mockery of the Apricot Antichrist and his version of a state fair – and his habit of exaggerating crowd size as if it were the size of genitals (which to him it probably is.) You can bring up the full transcript as usual, or read an alternate version (each has something the other doesn’t, but the structure is similar, and there is overlap.) I can’t help loving the way she paints with words to make so vivid what we are all thinking.

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Open Thread July 1 2026

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 012026
 

Monday, I tried to sign this petition and couldn’t – when I clicked on “Start Writing” it took me to a page which was blank except foe the organization’s logo. And I’m not asking you to sign it – it’s just that this is the only link to the story, and I thought y’all would want to be aware. Not that you’ll be surprised.

Yesterday, it was all over the Net that birthright citizenship survived SCROTUS by a 5-4 vote. I didn’t have time to name check before I had a medical appointment, but by now you probably know who the dissenters were – and I would love to read any dissemt that was written – because it would be like watching a circus acrebat act to see them trying to explain why they think an actual part of the Constitution is not Constitutional. If I find one, I’ll share a link.

Next Wednesday, the 8th, Robert Reich will be streaming his documentary “The Last Class” on YouTube next Wednesday, July 8. It will start at 5:30 pm Pacific. To see it, you must preregister. Once it starts, you won’t be able to pause it (so be prepared.) You can see it for free, but they do request a one-time donation which is optional. Here’s the link to register:

Robert Reich discusses how some SCROTUS decisions which are obviously inhumane are also obviously illegal – they flatly ignore Congress, which is the only branch of the Federal Governmen with the power to make law.

Speaking as a homeowner and mortgagor, I find this horrifying.

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Open Thread June 27 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 272026
 

Yesterday, this happpened. I have no words. Even the unprintable ones are inadequate for this.

Robert Reich on class war – what is effective, what isn’t, and what we most need and what we don’t need,

Joyce Vance on the latest regarding the criminal contempt proceedings Judge Boasberg has been working on since those planes to El Salvador failed to turn around and return.

From the Atlanta Black Star, and aimed at people of color. But there are a lot of white people who also are not up to speed on this. If you are not one of them. skip it. I’m not writing for you personally, but for a general audience.

P.S. The neighborghood fireworks started last night.  Sigh.

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Open Thread June 25 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 252026
 

I have been saying for years (OK, only a few years – but definitely more than two) that the Russian people are a population who would (and in fact, historically did) say to marauding Vikings, “Gee, you guys seem to be really good at organization. Why don’t you stick around and be our government?” That sounds like suckers pretty gullible to me. And the Vikings – at least some of them – did do just that. And when, if ever, since that time, when has Russia had any form f governmen which was not autocratic? The Russian Revolution in the 19 teens was not really even supposed to do that, and it didn’t. (In hindsight, I suspect that was largely due to the fact it was intended to be, and was, an economic revolution, and paid no attention to the possible forms of government it would establish – only to the form of government – heredity monarchy unrestrained by a constitution – it was replacing.) This is fresh in my mind just now after having watched a Substack video with Jacob Kaaesbo (one of Malcolm Nance’s co=hosts) and John Sipher , mostly regarding Ukraine’s war against Russia. Here’s a link to that conversation and a little picture showing how to find the Transcript – it does require scrolling down, but only about half a page.

It’s nice to have a little good news which is political in nature during the week – especially from a court.

The judge above called out the DHS. The former Reagan official cited here calls out the Supreme Court. Both desperately need reform – but both, sadly, will have to wait until we have the other two branches functioning again.

I’m not crazy about the reasons why this dude started this program – but at least he appears to be capable of learning from experience and changing his mind. As long as he keeps that mind open to new evidence, I wish his progress with it only the best.

This kind of goes with the previous piece, since both are about housing – and/or the lack of it. There is too much going on to try to cut down to 3 today.

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Open Thread June 20 2026

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 202026
 

Yesterday (technically the night before) Ukraine attacked Moscow with drones. I’m a veteran, but that was long before drones were even a gleam in Mars’s eye, this may be totally inaccurate – some of the drones were, or behaved as, incendiaries, while others were heat-seeking. Anyway, the result was that Moscow was on fire. WRT Iran, one of the points in the MOU was that if Bibi did anything hostile, the MOU would be null and void. Well, it’s null and void, less than 24 hours after the signing. So we are back to NACHO (not a chance Hormuz opens.) One very small point which I think is noteworthy – someone has managed to teach the Apricot Antichrist how to say “eviscerated.” That really surprised me.

OK, this is not an earthshaking story – though it may inspire people who live in areas where law enforcementis problematic. Alamosa and the San Luis Valley in which it is located were my home for 15 years, and I still get that “that’s home!” kneejerk reaction, alyhough everone I knre there is pretty much either gone or dead. And the story is not a downer.

From Press Watch, and right on the nose. There are indepenent journalists who actually do get this right – but traditional news oulets – not so much.

Expecting Bibi or anyone else in Israel to do anything because the Canteloupe Caligula told them to would be laughable if there weren’t human lives affected. And that’s not just Bibi. He has some ministers who are at least as crazy as he is.

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Open Thread June 18 2026

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

Yesterday, The Broadview 6 case was dismissed – but that is not the punchline. Instead, the ex-defendants through their counsel have requested the judge appoint a Special Counsel to investigate the DOJ for criminal contempt. My link is to a video, which is about 21 minutes long, which is normal for Glenn Kirschner alone – and here he is with Adam Klasfeld. Also, the Dekleptocracy Alliance reported it is very close to taking its January 6 tracker live, ans requested donations accordingly. I furst reported on this group lasy August, when they were mounting a general Corruption Tracker. Now they are mounting a specific Jan 6 tracker, to follow crimes committed by Jan 6ers afyer they received pardons (and therefore subject to potential prosecution.) It’s not up as I type, but the email suggested it is only “a few days” away.

I kind of feel the moral rot has been exposed for decades myself. But Isuppose if that were true for Americans in general, we woud not be where we now are.

If these crazy-a$$ righties want to give up their votes, I’d let them. But they won’t take mine away.

Jonathan Larson gets a bit fanciful trying to build an analogy between what hospice care actually does for people and what Repubicans are trying to do to hospices. Hopefully that doesn’t get too confusing – because he’s right.

 

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Open Thread June 15 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Holiday, Open Thread, Personal, Plus, Politics
Jun 152026
 

Yesterday, Virgil and I played cribbage as usual. He loved the new outfit. I think I said I barely finished it in time, but I didn’t mention I didn’t even have time to sew the ends of the elastic in the waitline of the pnats, so I gambled on usinf a small safety pin, and it did not set off the metal detector. That’s good to know for sure. I told him about the Googlr doodle story and he was just as impressed as everyone else. The drive was pretty easy both ways. On the way down I stopped to drop off my primary ballot in a drop box. I figured that even if we win the mail-in ballots war, it’s still time for me to learn about drop boxes, so I read up on where they are, and there are two on the stretch of old-fashoned highway I use to get to the Interstate when I see him. The first one is on the right side of the road going, and the second is on the right side of the road when I return. I stopped at the first one, and the box was obvious, and the parking was good, so I just used that one, and probably will in the future if it doesn’t change. But I am still glad to know about the second one.

I personally favor “Scrap the Cap.” And, even if that’s not actually passable, enough people supporting it could make Reich’s suggestion easier to pass.

Knowing Senator Whitehouse as I do – not personally, but through following his work in the Senate and his thinking through various media, I’m confident that the reassurance he is asking for is something that he wants only if it is true – and tha if it is not, he wants the truth. I say this because I don’t feel the article makes that clear. He and Senator Merkley are two Senators I just named as people whose nomination for President I would vote for – and added that that were others, but didn’t name them. Yes, he is pushing 70, and Merkley is pushing 69 (their dates of birth are one year minus 4 days apart.) And no, One doesn’t need to be that old to know what one is doing and how things work – but both do.I’m not averse to someone younger, but I would like someone who gives me the quiet confidence which they do.

Does ths reporting from ITPI surprise anyone? It certainly doesn’t surprise me – it just depresses me.

Sam Adams

Dog &Duck

I confess that when I filled up yesterday on the way home, it cost only a little over half what it had cost the last time. I wasn’t completely out either time, and he amounts were comparable.  I doubt that’s widespread – I suspect I just got lucky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Open Thread June 13 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 132026
 

Yesterday, Malcolm’s show was called the Taco Warcast. Jacob Kaarsbo (Danish intelligence Middle east) pointed out “it tells you all you need to know about Trump and US credibility at the moment. when you have to wait for announcements to be confirmed by Tasnim” (Tasmin is the IRGC media in Iran.) Also, Judge Brinkema in Alexandris, VA turned her temporary injunction against the “weaponization” slush fund into a preliminary injunction which is essentially permanent. She will not let the matter go unless she receives a statement signed by Todd Blnch AND the Secretary of the Treasury, under penalty of perjury, that the fund is dead and will not be resurrected. Finally, Frank Figliuzzi remarked that, unser the currect regime, a total of 1600 people have been allowed into the US (which seems a very small number to me to begin with), and that 1300 of them have been white South Africans.

I bumped this a day so as not to double up on Robert Reich. His analysis is IMO sound, and I don’t think it’s too soon to have it. What if a new Congress makes inpeachment ot the 25th viable? Or what if Dear Leader dies in office?

I hope this from The Conversation isn’t too depressing. How do sane people counter this kind of mentality? If only we knew.

And this from The Lever is also kind of depressing, and for the same reason. How do we counter the irrational? (I do feel any theory which does not address racism and/or misogyny is at best incomplete.)

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