Yesterday, I slept quite late again. On Sunday my right shoulder had really been bothering me – not every minute, but with certain motions which I make far more frequently than I had ever imagined. In fact, it took me until today to actually figure out what parts of the shoulder I should be applying arnica to. But by the time I posted this, the shoulder was doing much, much better.
In case anyone wants to dig into the Epstein Files any deeper than you already have, Joyce Vance provides a little material, and a link to the exact spot on the DOJ website where you can search.
From Wolves and Sheep. Many people are still above ground who remember the moment alluded to here. In Fact Robert Reich is singling people out at the rate af about one a week for a “Joseph Welch award.” This article doesn’t even quote Welch in full. But if even one person is inspired to hope and work for an occasion for history to repeat Welch’s accomplishment, it’s worth sharing.
Got children or grandchildren or greats? Know anyone who does? This may be their last chance to phone Santa – if the grinch in the White House finds out about it. I hope I’m wrong.
Most of HCR’s videos are way too long for here. But this one is short – and for Christmas.
Yesterday – well, that escalated quickly. The Senate sent the “release the files” bill to the Orange Oligarch’s desk for signature by 5:30 EST. (I received the Axios update at 3:35 MST, and assume it took 5 minutes or more to get it sent. I could be wrong – but not by more than 5 minutes.) I expected it to pass both Houses, but not today. People would not be in Congress if they did not love to talk. I also thought it had a good chance of being veto-proof. I did not expect it to pass with only one negative vote in both houses.
On Sunday, before the House Vote took place, Epstein survivors once again gathered on the Capitol steps, this time with photos of themselves contemporary with the abuse. It appears many people are viewing them as grown women in attempts to discredit, or at least soften, the trauma they endured. (Megyn Kelly is an example.) I really cannot address this – so just imagine a string of (expletive deleted)s, and supply whatever you wish to fill in. I will say I fully agree with Haley Robson’s assessment of the Apricot Antichrist’s reversal.
As Common Dreams demonstrates, it would be nice if we could manage to listen to Bernie. He has enough experience, and has paid enough attention to other nations’ methods of dealing with health care that he knoews what works. He has also done enough town hallls across the nation recently enough that he knows what is popular.
I’m very glad I didn’t include yesterday the news of Jesse Jackson being on life support – because it ain’t so. Yes, he turned 84 in October, so he’s not exactly youthful – he has Parkinson’s and PSP (which is definitely no walk in the park) – but he’s stable and with his family. The article includes a facsimile of the statement from his family (in very small print so I confess not to have read it all).
Yesterday, along with the rest of the world, why Michelle Obama will not run for President. And apparently she has been singing my song – or I have been singing hers – except this is the first time she has said it publicly: “As we saw in this past election, sadly, we ain’t ready. That’s why I’m like, don’t even look at me about running because you all are lying. You’re not ready for a woman. You are not. So don’t waste my time.” She could have added “And don’t kill any career I do want.” And she is absolutely right. We ain’t ready – we aren’t going to be in my lifetime and quite possibly not in the lifetime of anyone who is alive today. Because this societal change has to start with parents – and the parents ain’t ready for the lesson: “If you don’t want your sons to be lonely, stop raising them to be misogynistic assholes.” (quote from John Pavlovitz) Also, I slept late (normal for a Monday) – in addition to normal catching up, I had stayed up to stream the first episode of “The American Revolution” (Passport allows me to stream it through my local station.) I was surprised by how much I already knew – but even more surprised at how much the current GOP is acting like George III’s cabinet “You’ll do what we tell you.” We know what those people want and we can second guess and outsmart them (didn’t work.) “We’ll tell you what you want.” “We’re sending in the troops.” And that’s just the first episode. (And this probably means nothing, but more than a few women were quoted using modern women’s voices, and every single time Abigail Adams was quoted, I knew it was she before the name was shown. That was also true for Phillis Wheatley, but that was only one quote and impossible to miss.) Also yesterday, the Evil Emperor claimed he had changed his mind on releasing the Epstein files. I have a theory as to why, but as yet no evidence.
To me, this Huff Post article is super good news. More Progressives running. They won’t all win their primaries, But at the very least some who do will win the general. And that will be good for all Americans – including the ones too dumb to know it.
Chris Bowers has a point here – but I think it’s also possible to underestimate the Apricot Antichrist, and that we have been doing so for ten tears now – since he first came down the escalator, in fact. Granted his body count for this regime is so far much lower than the body count from the first one (which I don’t think we should forget, nor allow others to forget), it is also far more violent – it is being achieved through direct and despicable action, rather than through inaction.
The only excuse to call this news is that it’s from a newsletter. We all knew it from the instant the election was called – just not the exact names and faces. But this from Common Dreams does have receipts.
Yesterday, I got to my main email just about the time Grijalva was sworn in. Yes, that was kind of late in the day, but before I check my main email, I check the old one, and look up the times of sunrise and sunset and record them, and I take my morning meds and make coffee, and even getting dressed is not zero time, plus it’s two hours earlier here. And it’s nice to get up to a little good news, since it is mostly anything but. Also, none of the DOJ’s Epstein Files were released, but three emails obtained by Democrats on the House Oversight Committee directly from the Epstein estate were.
In view of the fact that many people are losing their minds over this or that in it, I thought it would be good for us all to turn to Heather Cox Richardson and get a view of everything that is in it. After that, losing one’s mind will still be on the table (including for me.)
National Public Radio has coverage of an ICE arrest from June but given that Veterans’ Day was just a couple of days ago seems appropriate to revisit now.
This from Axios reminds me of a Twilight Zone episode – “Eye of the Beholder“, to be precise. I was a big fan of TZ, and was 15 when this episode first aired. I think it shocked me more than any other episode of TZ- and I certainly never expected it to play out in my lifetime. But here we are.
Robert Reich’s series to share widely as he requests
