Nov 052024
 

Yesterday, I learned that Kamala Harris had appeared on Saturday Night Live’s cold open along with Maya Rudolph. (Yeah, even with the extra hour, I didn’t get through Sunday’s emails on Sunday.) Mitch, sweetie that he is, had sent me a link to the NYTimes article on it, which I did archive, but frankly I don’t much care what the NYTimes has to say about anything any more. So here’s a link to the Cold Open on YouTube. Also yesterday I learned that Quincy Jones died Sunday – and I might not have learned that without subscribibg to The Root’s free enail newsletter, so much has the election sucked the life out of all other news (although in the evening I did hear about it on CPR Classical.)

Heather Cox Richarddson has just returned fro a thirteen month book tour, and is admittedly exhausted. But, while o tour, everywhere she went she was asked the same question – to wit, how she managed to maihtain hope in the face of – well, everything. this is her answer. I’m not adding a tissue alert – I needed one, but I think that’s at least in large part because I’m low on antidepressant just now – and I don’t see this history being taught in red states any time soon. But the history itself is filled with hope.

Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” (also from Sunday evening) may not be as radiantly hopeful as Cox Rixhardson, but it is full if information which should not be missed. What we don’t know about, we cannot defend against. And it’s not all bad. There’s some good news also. (And did you know that chickens can purr? The previous day’s column even had a short video with sound which proves it. I am speechless.)

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Nov 042024
 

For months now I have been mostly skipping over fundraising emails. But Saturday, I got one with the From/Subject in the screen capture below. Seriously, how could I not open that one? Besides being lovely, it reminds me of Virgil (No, I’m not claiming to be as badass as Kamala, but bless his heart, I think he thinks I am.) Yesterday, I saw him and we once again played cribbage. On the way, I detoured to check out a medical building where I have an appointment for the 13th. I lost the first appointment I made looking for a new PCP through not being able to find the place in time, and I don’t want to go through that again, especially since I’m getting low on scrips and have no prescriber until i can keep an appointment. And just to make life more interesting, my landline has not been working all week.

 

And speaking of Virgil – I probably hardly even need to say that authoritarians are so clueless when it comes to understanding what motivates people. Granted, it’s not 100% impossible for people to be motivated to anything positive by shame, but it’s very rare. Hitting bottom is not about shame, it’s about losing things. I’ve only come across one anecdote in over 40 years of being married to a recovering alcoholic which suggests shame as a positive motivator, and that was the story of a father who was drunk and still drinking in the kitchen when his teenaged son walked in and said, “Dad, you stink.” And even that can be explained otherwise. But all of these MAGAts would have kicked the kid in this story off the team with no remorse, and it likely would have sealed his fate. Tim knew better.

Heather Cox Richardson‘s history is, as always, impeccable. I can only hope that her speculation is equally reliable. There is oly todat and tomorrow to make a difference – in a few states late mail ballots can be accepted, but they must be postmarked by midnight tomorrow. With the whole nation, possibly the entire world freaking out (and not without reason), we are going to have to wait possibly days after voting ends to know the results. At times like these, I always remember C. S. Lewis’s analysis – a psychological analysis – That it’s perfectly legitimate to pray for (or against) something wihich has already happened, as long as you don’t know what the result is (and it’s probably psychologically impossible to keep praying once you know anyway, for good or ill.) So those who believe in prayer, feel free to keep praying as long as there is any doubt.

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Oct 312024
 

Yesterday, Common Cause reported that the Supreme Court had legitimized Glenn Youngkin’s illegal last minute voter purge in Virginia. That’s huge news, so you probably saw it. You may not have seen, however, that Common Cause is now on the ground in Virginia working to get all of them who are eligible re-registered. Virginia is a same-day registration state, so this is not impossible, just staggeringly challenging. They are accepting donations at commoncause.org. Also, Carrie Burton (NannyCarrie from Care2 and a long time follower here) sent me an email about a program her grandson Peyton is working with about which she is justifiably proud. (This may be a good time to introduce a new emoji I came up with for “tissue alert.”)

TC used to like to say, “The Reich on the left is right,” And that certainly is true of his analysis in general. When he speculates on thinks which might happen, it’s more difficult to assert “he’s right.” But this is certainly a speculation about which I hope,I hope, I hope he’s right. Incidentally, it also contains a photo which immediately reminded me – whay on earth would anyone ever think that white skin is superior to, or even more attractive than, other skin colors? Yes, you may consider that a barf bag alert.

I suspect this, as reported by Wonkette, has been going on for a long time, actually. But now is definitely the time to encourage more of it. And, in this connection, it would not just be for abortion and voting. Nofault divorce is also under attack.

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Oct 292024
 

Yesterday, I had managed to spend the night in bed. My back hurt when I got up, but far less so than last Wednesday and Thursday, and by the time I got toi the computer in the den, I knew i would not need ice or the TENS. Good thing too – I find my thoughts depressing enough without pain making them any worse.

https://heathercoxrichardson.substack.com/p/october-26-2024
Some time ago I downloaded and kept a copy of a training video from World War II called “Dont Be A Sucker.” You can call it propaganda if you like, but if you do, you kind of need to add that if the material in propaganda is true and has the goal of discouraging civilian violence, then propaganda can be positive. Trust historian Heather Cox Richardson to remember that the Army also provided positive propaganda to the tropps – and to share some of it.

https://joycevance.substack.com/p/the-week-ahead-aeb
You know that history is important in relation to what we are experiencing now when Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” starts with history. She discusses and links to a short film comprising archival clips from the 1939 Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden. People who aren’t paying attention are likely to be shocked. Personally, I find Trump** rallies to be much more scary, partly because today the language is more coded, and the violence is more open. Who today would use the word “Gentile” at a gathering like this? You know what also scares me? Even people as old as I am, when we think od World War II and America’s part in it, think of Nazis and concentration camps, of orsiners of war in Germany and Americans workinf with resistance groups. But the truth is, if Japan had not bombed Pearl Harbor, FDR would never have been able to get enough backing to send troops to Europe. Our victories would never have been possible. Tere would have been no United Nations. No Geneva Convention. likely 1984 would have been “1984.” Joyce says “But the Greatest Generation didn’t fall into the trap.” i don’t think we know that. We will never truly know what the 20th century would have been like had Japan not forced us intot he war. But I can’t believe it would have been pretty.

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Belle Central Park

Dog

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Oct 282024
 

Take this to heart when voting, America

Please consider the last comment of this cartoon too when voting.

Sadly, your colleagues in Queensland, Australia, didn’t do that last Saturday.

 

This cartoon is from The Guardian, Australia edition, 10/28/2024,

Scientists have discovered that Earth’s carbon sinks are not really carbon sinking at the moment | First Dog on the Moon | The Guardian

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Oct 142024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came over and moved a bunch of stuff for recyclables, trash, and sharity, so that I have “traffic lanes” again. And she brought in all the mail, which included my ballot, which arrived Saturday (I thought it might, though it was just sent Friday.) She also showed me some pictures from her trip to Portugal last year and of her family. Her mother is as beautiful as she is (and she is names after her mother, Trina – Trinette means “little Trina,” which is ironic considering how tall she is.)

I’m not quite sure exactly what the author means by “the political set.” It could mean politicians and their staffs. It could mean people who are outside of politics, but read about it and discuss it because they darned well want to know what they are voting for – or against. It could also mean that segment of the media which concentrates on politics. Or any combination of those three. If there’s one group there which really should be listening to “ordinary people,” though, it’s the politicians. Politicians represent ordinary people, and therefore should always be listening to them.

The entire newsletter from In The Public Interest is in this newsletter, but I’m sharing for just the first article (feel free to read on.) There is a great meme on this topic which I’ll share as today’s cartoon.

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Oct 052024
 

Yesterday, I discovered Brave New Films has released its newest documentary – about the E. Jean Carroll case (They have quite a catalog – the earliest one I remeber them putting out was exposing the Koch Brothers, u they also did one with Ed Asner playing the Fox-owned grandfather. That’s just what I remember. there are lots more.) Also, Robert Reich posted the newest video/article in his current series.

This is not election news, but it is equally disgusting. Since the article is in a local paper, it’s not that specific to where this is happening, but Wonkette, who referred me to it, identifies the district as being in Yotk County, PA. Since we are in the overlap of Hispanic Heritage Month and LGBTQ’s month, I thought I’d share this even without any Hispanic link. My response to this would be a lot of every-thing-proof black paint on the inside (along with protesting.)

Heather Cox Richardson‘s column from Thirsday nigh started me thinking. I am not thrilled by our two party system, yet I fear the formation of a third party because in my lifetime I have seen too many spoiler candidates negatively affect our government. But what if we had four parties, and each one stood for one quadrant of the political compass? I think potential leadership actually exists – Kamala Harris is clearly a strong leader in the lower left quadrant. Jill Stein appears to represent the upper left, and Liz Cheney (along with Adam Kinzinger and Michael Luttig, and likely a lot more who have not spoken out) is clearly in the lower right quadrant. I can think of far too many “leaders” who are solidly in the upper right quadrant, and I expect so can you, and though I would love to make a statrmrnt by alluding to a woman here, I can’t think of one who would actually have that party’s support (Sarah Huckabee Sanders may be the closest.) I doubt whether any one of the four would have a majority without forming a coalition of some kind. It might be fun to speculate who would form a coalition with whom and on what grounds. And it would be much easier to setermine where any given candidate “really” stands. It certinly couldn’t happen in my lifetime. But maybe some day (aessuming we don’t lose the 2024 election.)

Joyce Vance finished and posted here analysis of Jack Smith’s superseding indictment and I, at least, am not disapponted. I hope you’ll think it was worth waiting a day for also. It clarifies the hoops he had to jump through as well as how he did it. When – not if – this comes to the Supreme Court, ALito and Thomas should, of course recuse, but won’t, and can’t be forced to. Although if we get a majority in both the House and the Senate, we may be able to tell them “recuse or be impeached.” If we could get rid ofjust those two, I’d be a happy camper. We’d have a 5-4 majority, and Gorsuch respects tribal law (most Republicans and even some Democrats don’t), and Barrett is a nebbish.

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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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