Open Thread October 8 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 082024
 

Yesterday was the first Monday in October, and that means it was the beginning of the current term for the Supreme Court of the United States. If, like most of us,you pay attention to this Court when it makes a decision which will affect you or someone you care about (and I admit that describes me), this may be a good time to dig a little deeper. Jotce Vance is not on the Supreme Court (more’s the pity for us, though she is probably happy she isn’t), but she knows more about it than most people do.) You can if you wishm read he “The Week Ahead” column for this week I guarantee you will learn something.

People who love horses will be interested in these two companion stories. I can’t speak for other states, but, at least in Colorado, no horses are being killed in the interest of reducing equine crowding. And I can’t say what the horses are thinking, but the girls in this program must feel like they are in heaven. I haven’t been on the back of a horse for at least 50 years now, and I know myself better than to try it now, but I don’t think I’ll ever forget the feeling.

I don’t know what else one would expect from a Trump** nominee. But I also don’t know what the process is to fire an Inspector General. If it’s as hard as it is to fire a Postmaster General, that would explain why he hasn’t been fired. We can at least hope that this report from POGO will generate some action.

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Open Thread October 6 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 062024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Madam Butterfly” by Puccini, the first opera I ever saw, when I was 8 years old. Despite the tenor being a jerk, it’s a pretty good first opera for a young person. For one thing, it’s generally gorgeous to look at. No one seems to have thought it a good idea to do it in black and white. For another, like all Puccini operas, it has catchy melodies, and Puccini takes advantage of them, not quite as leimotifs, but to associate with characters, and if nothing else, that helps clarify who is entering or exiting. And it’s a story line which has probably been told as my times, in as many languages, with local detail, as Cinderwlla. And now I’m off to see Virgil. I well as always check in when I get back.

I certainly do not want to praise the Heritage Foundation, so please don’t take it as praise when I say “they’ve thought of everything.” Everything to silence every last vestige of truth, integrity and just plain virtue from not only our goveernment but our entire society. If we lose this election, we will never be able to trust a government employee again. Ever. Not without a revolution.

If you wonder why I am citing this article by Steve Schmidt when it seems so self-evident – stick with it. I will say that, if you don’t know who MSgt Rodrick Edmonds is, hang tight – he will eventually tell you. Anwhen he does you may need a hanky. Also, “revanchist” as an adjective means “seeking revenge.” That was a new word for me, so I thought I’d try to save you a trip to the dictionary.

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Open Thread October 4 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 042024
 

Yesterday, I had expected some commentary from Joyce Vance Wednesday night on Jack Smith’s newest filing, which was (somewhat redacted) released then by Judge Chuutkan. But no, she’s taking a couple of days off for Rosh Hashanah (she wishes us all “besorot tovot”  (may we hear good news.) She did, however, provide a link to it (it’s down from 180 pages to 168.) No, I didn’t try to read it – I am having an everything everywhere all at once week. But if you want cammentary without going through the whole thing, i’d recommend Harry Litman at Talking Feds on YouTube. He’s detailed, yet speaks colloquially enough for just about anyone to grasp all the points. Also yesterday, Tina Peters was sentenced – to 9 years in prison. The judge had some things to say.

Heather Cox Richardson did address the filing along with the debate – and while it’s longish, it’s nowhere near 168 pages. Also, it makes one thing pellucidly clear which I want to point out, because you will see (maybe already have seen) articles in sources you trust which claim that Trump** said “Make them riot!” That is false. Those words were spoken, but not by Trump**. It was Mike Roman in DEtroit who said that. Richardson provides the circumstances under which it was said.

Everyone here who loves Betty Bowers is going to really love this. Not that she is known for being subtle, but this one really pulls no punches and takes no prisoners.

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Open Thread October 2 2024

 Posted by at 4:58 pm  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 022024
 

Could have sworn I posted this  before now – guess I didn’t.

Yesterday was International Coffee Day. Generally when Virgil calls me he has a cup of coffee in his other hand. So when he called, I wished him a happy International Coffee Day – and guess what, he had a glass of milk in hand instead. Irony lives. Also, I received a grocery deliviery, which was late, so I was late starting the debate. I observed that at least one mod was doing minimal fact checking. But I was so repelled, I couldn’t stand it and quit early. I’m not worried you won’t find out what happened, since it will be all over the net the second it is over. In any case, Walz is absolutely transparent and Vance shoots off his mouth so much, that the 19th was able to put this together before either one stepped on “stage.”

I get so accustomed to simply remembering that everything that comes out of a Republican mouth is a lie that I tend to forget how painful, how damaging, and mostly how misleading they are. Heather Cox Richardson reminds me why I shouldn’t do that.

And a little parody from our friends in Australia that we didn’t know we had (We knew we had Lona – but she doesn’t know “The Juice.”)

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Open Thread September 30 2024

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 302024
 

Yesterday, Steve Schmidt posted a new “The Schmidt Storm,” in print and video. And Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” is packed so full that I really can’t just summarize.

I saved this for Monday hoping not to ruin anyone’s weekend. I know you’ve heard the expression that someone is someone else “on steroids.” Well, Musk is Donald Trump** with autism. I mean that as a figure of speech, of course, and yes, it is unfair to people on the autism spectrum. Except that most people on the spectrum do not resemble Trump** to begin with.

I’m sure there’s not a soul here who doesn’t already know the facts here already and the general principle  intuitively. But intuition isn’t evidence, and it’s good to have evidence.

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Open Thread September 27 2024

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 272024
 

Yesterday, Steve Schmidt referred and linked to an opinion piece in the New York Times by Stanley McChrystal, a now retired General who was in command in Afghanistan intil President Obama relieved him of that command for running his mouth in Rollong Stone. Steve didn’t provide a gift link, so I am providing an archived one. It’s titled “Why Kamala Harris has won me over.” It’s another “policies are not the issue, the issue is character” essay, as was, for instance, Judge Luttig’s, but it’s longer with examples (and it’s interesting that his examples of character were two Deomoctats and a Republican, and the Republican was Lincoln, while his one example of lack of character was Republican Nixon. But that’s among us. I don’t want to step on his centrist stance. Particularly when the only people who are going to listen to him are centrists. MAGAs are mostly lost, and the few who are coming around are doing sofor reasons that won’t get published in an op-ed.) Also yesterday, Senator Hickenlooper used his “Giddy-Update” newsletter to spread the truth about Aurora, Colorado, which, despite all the furor about Springfield getting louder, has also bee receiving harassment from MAGA dupes.

Sometimes living in Colorado can be un-bear-able. Thank you. I’ll be here all week. Don’t forget to tip your waitstaff.

If you aren’t able to read or watch Joe Biden’s speech to the UN on Tuesday in full (Robert Hubbell has links: full text and video), Heather Cox Richardson‘s summary is a pretty good substitute. I admit I teared up when I came to “My fellow leaders, let us never forget, some things are more important than staying in power. It’s your people…that matter the most.”

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Open Thread September 25 2024

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 252024
 

Yesterday – well, let’s just say – did you know there was a new PAC called AntiPsychopath Pac? I sure didn’t. But I certainly welcome it!

The author of this article, Jeremy Mohler, works with In The Public Interest, which is probably the most ambitious opponent of inappropriate privatization of government functions (which IMO means almost any privatization of government functions) in the U.S. today. Why do I say that? Because our government was designed, among other things, to “promote the general welfare.” That’s in the Preamle to the Constitution. Corporations are designed to promote the welfare of their stockholders – not the welfare of all their stakeholdres, which would include the general public, along with the conporation’s employees. If you want to call that Socialism, it follows you must believe that the authors of the Constitution were Socialists. I think not.

This article from the Brennan Center for Justice is a referral from Joyce Vance, who is busy with about 11 baby chicks (all of whom are terminally cute. There are pictures.) If one works in any way with the law or legal issues, one does not want to be on the wrong side of the Brennen Center. And it would appear that John Roberts just got there.

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Open Thread September 23 2024

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 232024
 

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

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