Open Thread August 23 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 232025
 

Yesterday, I noted that Wonkette is stoked that Mallory McMorrow is running to represent Michigan in the U.S. Senate – to the point that the owner/editrix is holding a fund raiser for her on September 21st. It will be at her home, but can also be attended via Zoom. Well, I’m stoked too, and not just because I appreciate alliteration. McMorrow’s voice is fierce, and we need fierce voices in the Senate (and in the House.)

This is a Substack post by Dr. Shannon Fleck, who is (since April) the Executive Director of Faithful America. It points out that gerrymandering wasn’t enough for Texas – they had to get their sticky fingers into women’s health care as well, and tie their meddling to faith. I think this pretty well has gone under the radar, so I’m glad they had a link for us (they usually don’t.)

Yes, I know this from Wonkette is from Thursday. But it goes well with the other article. And the analysis may help explain why Evan calls his side project “The Moral High Ground.” I believe that “uncompromising” is incompatible with morality for humans (God or the universe or Karma may be able to stick to it, but the point is that they are supposed to be omniscient, whereas our human brains are not built to contain enough knowledge to never compromise.)

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Open Thread August 22 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 222025
 

Yesterday, I noticed that, although one might think that when I’m moving slowly, time moves slowly, it’s actually just the opposite. I am moving slowly – but the days are flying by with much not accomplished. Sigh.

Another multipurpose article, this one from Amanda Marcotte. But if you want to read just the first section, I’ll be fine with that.

I assume everyone’s heard at least the bare bones of this travesty. But the bare bones cannot give one the feel of what is happening here. This article from the 19th, on the other hand, does.

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Open Thread August 20 2025

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 202025
 

Yesterday, I slept really late – like almost 4:00 pm. I was actually awakened by the refrigerator guy at the doorbell (I didn’t even know it could ring that loud.) But I needed it. I needed to use the TENs on my back at that spot I’ve been needing it off and on since TC was still with us – but my knees were so much better – not perfect, but I’m back in business. Also, we (Democrats) have a candidate opposing Susan Collins – but she is also getting primaried (or however that works in Maine – don’t they have ranked choice?) by a Republican – an oyster farmer (It’s silly, but somehow it nags on me that that should be an “oyster rancher.”) And one more news item – this one from Texas.

I apologize for the disgusting nature of this article from The 19th. Unfortunately, to get at the whole truth, it’s sometime necessary to face disgusting facts. And neither misogyny nor cryptocurrency is a fringe issue. Both are capable of being used (and are being used) to silence us and keep us down.

Mail-in ballots. Certainly, without them, my vote would not get counted. But I wouldn’t expect anything but disinformation from a person who lies like the rest of us breathe.

“Political Primate” is a new YouTube channel (started 7/22/25) depicting an ape (I’m no primatologist, but I think maybe an orangutan) speaking political commentary in a beautiful bass voice. Whatever he is, he is clearly highly educated, and far more intelligent than our current regime.

I’m using a Robert Reich video today instead of Belle, essentially because he asked me to. There’s a lot in it that I can’t do – but I am doing what I can. (I got a smile out of noticing that Reich watches Farron.)

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Open Thread August 18 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 182025
 

Yesterday, Trinette was by. She took my old printer out of its site, put my new one there instead, and also took out an old (50 years) stereo/tape/AM/FM player which was state-of-the-art in its day. Also, I saw this at DU and found it to be a great relief. I hope you will also.

Yeah. There’s no way I could cover all of this in separate articles – assuming I could find them – and separately, it’s harder to discern a trend. But this from The Root does all that I can’t.

OK, I admit that I picked this article from The F* News because of the title. But it’s also current and important.

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Here’s another multi=purpose article. Some of the full articles it references I have previously shared but most I haven’t. If you only want to look at one of the individual articles, may I suggest “Moving the Window”? The Overton Window is real, and people trying to move it to suit themselves can really be dangerous.

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Open Thread August 16 2025

 Posted by at 5:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 162025
 

Yesterday, it was brought home to me just how crazy our beloved country is now – it’s been over a month now and I only just learned the Grand Canyon is on fire.

From HuffPost. Shared without comment. I don’t have the vocabulary to do it justice

I could wish I hadn’t seen this in The Root. If you haven’t heard of Prager, it would be because I try to keep all religious stuff – Christian (real and fake), Jewish, Islamic, Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Shinto, indigenous faiths, everything out of politics, as it should be. Clearly Prager does not agree.

I just couldn’t leave it at those two travesties when Joyce Vance had this to say. Incidentally, the staffer who writes the Trump**(*) parodies is named Camille Zapata who leads a team of three. They really have him nailed.

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Open Thread August 13 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 132025
 

Yesterday, I overslept the way I usually do on Mondays. Most Mondays are not as stressful as this Monday was, though. Also yesterday, an email from Just Foreign Policy (which links only to a donation request dressed as a petition) that “Israel just killed 5 journalists in a single strike…. Their names join a devastating list: nearly 270 journalists have now been killed over the course of this war – the deadliest conflict for reporters ever recorded.” I hope no one tells the Mango Monster, or he’ll try to break the record. And one other thing – if you have been worried about me in connection with Colorado’s wildfires and smoke particles, all of them are on the opposite side of the peaks of the Rockies from me. Yes, all of Colorado is at a pretty good altitude, and the prevailing winds go towards me from the fires, but there’s still roughly a 7000 foot (2134 m) barrier between them and me. I have not noticed anything, and I think they are going over my head.

https://thefuckingnews.substack.com/p/senate-hopeful-calls-national-prayer
And Jordan Good, as reported by The F* News, is 100% correct. He is running to unseat Susan Collins, and we (and by we I mean all the sane people in the US) desperately need him and more like him. So I hope his honesty does not hurt him at the ballot box.

joycevance.substack.com/p/when-the-president-becomes-the-police
Joyce Vance runs through the cold, hard realities of he law regarding the Golden Godzilla’s latest power grab in DC. It’s a pity we didn’t listen to voices recommending statehood for DC and Puerto Rico before he .took office. If we ever get even the slimmest trifecta again, that is something that needs doing.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-trial-run?
Robert Reich, on the other hand, runs through what to look for and how to interpret how bad it is and why, depending on the responses to the attempted takeover. The two together appear pretty comprehensive to me.

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Open Thread August 9 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 092025
 

Yesterday, thankfully, the inbox was way down.

Oddly, since I normally prefer reading to videos, I think I’d rather listen to Heather Cox Richardson than read her letters/ Even though she says “um” a lot. I think part of that is her enthusiasm. Even when she has warnings to give, it can feel like she’s giving a pep talk. I listened to all 41 ½ minutes  of this one, digressions, and ums, and all, and there was little in it that I hadn’t heard or read elsewhere, but I still felt enlightened afterwards. You may feel differently, but here’s the link if you want to try. (If you don’t, ignore it.)

I am absolutely in agreement with Robert Reich here. Eternal vigilance is the price, not only of freedom, but of equity. If they distort it one way, the only way we can restore it is to distort it ourselves. We didn’t get that during reconstruction (any of the reconstructions) – but we need to learn it now.

This is from Wonkette, and not unexpected, I would guess. One old saying which is absolutely true is that “Figures don’t lie. But liars do figure.

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Open Thread August 8 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 082025
 

Yesterday, my inbox was even crazier than usual. I don’t know why. Federal News appeared to me to be the usual BS. I suppose there might be people who are just now catching on – but yu’d have to be deaf, dumb, and blind to be running even the tiniest news outlet and just now be catching on after more than six months of pure hell. in any case, I decided to go with a couple of off the wall stories, neither of which features the Orange Oligarch directly, though both are related to his policies (if you can call them policies and not fantasies – I think the jury is still out on that), along with one terrifying legal analysis, which includes guesswork, but some things are not that hard to guess. Also yesterday, this link was forwarded to me. I guess it’s no weirder that Scalia/Ginsburg = except that I would not be interested in an opera about it.

From The Conversation. Many of my sources from time to time refer to history as a help in understanding the present. This article appears to me to be particularly pertinent. And it happened within the lifetime of many of us, including me. The First Amendment is easy to approve, but not easy to discuss, and figuring out where to draw lines can be very touchy indeed. But I do believe the Warren Court got it right.

Certainly I knew that J. B. Pritzker was a Democratic governor who was working with other Democratic governors to protect citizens and residents from the Marigold Maelstrom. But that was all. this situation in Texas is getting coverage for more of his personality and Wonkette is there for it.

Well, this is scary. It’s not as if we weren’t anticipating it, of course, but I for one hoped it would take a little (or a lot) longer to get to it. But no – it’s here.

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