Open Thread August 29, 2023

 Posted by at 5:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 292023
 

Yesterday, I read the newsletter Joyce Vance sent Sunday night, which she titled “The Week Ahead.” Although it’s not long, it covers way too much ground for a short take (not to mention that it covers matters I did not want to discuss on a sacred anniversary – or even the day after.) So I’m linking to the text on Substack here instead. Vance tries to do a “Week Ahead” column weekly, but it doesn’t always happen, This week looks like a “Fasten your seat belt” week. Robert Hubbell, also a lawyer, did one too, also on Substack. Between the two of them, you should be prepared for almost anything. I did make a point of looking for the date set for the trial in the DC Federal Trump** case, and it’s March 4, 2024 (a day before “Super Tuesday”). You probably saw that also. (It’s also the birthday of Lois W, wife of Bill W who founded AA, and founder herself of AlAnon.) At Mark Meadows hearing, he took the stand, which opened him to be cross-examined – and I don’t even know whether they were finished with him or whether the hearing continues today (or even longer.)

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – The Real Story Behind Ron DeSantis’ Newest Fired Prosecutor
Quote – What American viewers weren’t told is that, behind the scenes, the governor’s office had quietly conspired with local sheriffs to tarnish the reputations of these democratically elected prosecutors—turning local cops against the state attorneys they’re supposed to partner with and trust…. “They thought that I was overly critical of law enforcement and didn’t do anything against ‘real criminals,’” Worrell told The Daily Beast in an interview last week. “Apparently there’s a difference between citizens who commit crimes and cops who commit crimes.”
Click through for story. It should surprise no one. This is who DeSaster is. (And this kind of thing is exactly why we need police reform before we authorize more police training. Why spend money to train them to be corrupt?)

Robert Reich – The March on Washington, 60 years ago today [yesterday now]
Quote – I was a high school junior, watching the event from afar on TV. I was mesmerized by the power of King’s oratory, overcome by his grace and hope. One of my mother’s friends, visiting at the time, called Dr. King a “troublemaker.” That was the last I ever saw of her. He was a troublemaker, in the sense that the late civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis used the term: He was a maker of “good trouble.” Dr. King’s speech, as well as the March on Washington, focused on economic discrimination and the lack of decent jobs for Black Americans. The civil rights leaders who organized the events made sure to include white labor organizer Walter Reuther, the head of the United Auto Workers. Today, 60 years later, I can’t resist asking: How much progress has been made since then?
Click through for article. The obvious and unquestionable answer is “Not enough.” But that’s quite a range. The Reich on the left, of curse, has the knowledge and smarts to give a more nuanced answer.

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 8/18/2023

 Posted by at 12:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 182023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Rudy Giuliani, now both an indicted AND un-indicted Trump co-conspirator, would make a POOR witness

The Lincoln Project – Uh Oh, Donald (Georgia Remix)

Farron Balanced – Tommy Tuberville May Be Serving In The Senate ILLEGALLY

Scared Ketchup – AI MAGA’s NEW Health Supplement: “Trump’s Tiny White Balls”

Matted Dog Who Lived On The Street For Years Gets Her First Haircut

Beau – Let’s talk about Fulton County, Trump, and warming up….

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Video Thread 8/14/2023

 Posted by at 12:04 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 142023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Federal judge tells Trump she WILL NOT ALLOW his political campaign to interfere w/orderly justice

The Lincoln Project – Inside Dark Brandon

Thom Hartmann – Welcome to the DeSantis Nazi Fantasy Camp Indoctrination Centers…aka Florida Public Schools?!

Brent Terhune – Montgomery Boat Brawl

Coyote Waits Patiently For Guy To Free Him From Fence

Beau – Let’s talk about Senator Tuberville’s Ukraine analogy….

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Video Thread 8/12/2023

 Posted by at 12:10 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 122023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Jack Smith subpoenas Trump’s Twitter account; this will be evidentiary gold for prosecutors

The Lincoln Project – The DeSantis Method

Robert Reich – Is Donald Trump a Fascist?

Farron Balanced – Trump Messes Up His Own Name And Age During Arraignment

Blind Puppy Grows Up And Gets A Blind Puppy Of His Own

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump in the zone….

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Open Thread August 1, 2023

 Posted by at 6:07 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 012023
 

Yesterday, as I had predicted, I slept in hard. And woke up feeling pretty good, both physically and attitude-wise. Today is a new month, and I already have all the cartoons checked – Of the 31 TC had for this month in 2015, 29 are usable, and I have already made the other two.  On to September!

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Wonkette – DA Fani Willis Said The Fun Will Begin In August. Guess What Month Starts Tomorrow, Donald Trump?
Quote – Just as last week’s indictments were coming down, news was coming out of Atlanta that they were starting to put up barricades around the courthouse. Why? Because it’s Fuck Around And Find Out Summer! Plus, Willis had already said the fun was going to start in August. Now, there are a couple more fun new developments on that front…. And speaking of Fani Willis, she talked to reporters this weekend, and here is what she said:
Click through for article. It is Substack, so click on “continue reading” when it pops up, scrolling down first if necessary. I figure if we must have news involving TFG, we may as well have a little fun with it. Also, Substack videos can be weird, so I made a rough transcript of the one near the end: “First, [I made] a commitment to the American people but most importantly the citizens of Fulton County that we are going to be making some big decisions over the election investigation and that I would do that before September First 2023. [With what we’ve] accomplished over the last two and a half years, we’re ready to go.”

Common Dreams – What Florida Students Could Learn From PragerU Kids
Quote – A cartoon Booker T. Washington distorting the history of the Civil War. A narrator explaining that embracing climate denialism is akin to participating in the Warsaw Uprising. An instructional video telling girls that conforming to gender stereotypes is a great way to embrace their femininity. A dramatization of the supposedly civilizing, benevolent era of British colonial rule in India. These are just some of the episodes of PragerU Kids—an offshoot of right-wing propaganda organization PragerU—that Florida has just approved for use in its public school classrooms, reflecting and potentially accelerating the state’s hard conservative turn.
Click through for details. The title does not mean what I first thought it meant, which would have been something like, “PragerU kids may be baby MAGAts, but there is still something positivie to be learned from them.” Instead, it means something more like “Horrible things that Florida could be learning from PragerU propaganda if someone doesn’t put a stop to it.” You mey remember during the Vietnam war we mocked the remark “We had to destroy the village to save it.” But – if one thinks, not of the people of Florida en masse but of Floridas educational structure – this may be a time when that is actually true.

Food For Thought

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Open Thread July 27, 2023

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 272023
 

Yesterday, I won’t say I overslept, becuse that implies I was planning to get up at a certain time, and I wasn’t. But I did sleep for a long time. I’m sure I needed it. But I did wake up in time to get ready for, and take in, a grocery order (which was rather a disappointment. But I did get everything I was actually out of, so at least I have time on my side.) Incidentally, I was also very late getting the Video Thread up – I had scheduled it for a day late and had to correct that, and I was late in discovering it. Sorry about that.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Inside the DeSantis Doc That Showtime Didn’t Want You to See
Quote – The Daily Beast has obtained a transcript of that unaired documentary, “The Guantanamo Candidate,” which was anchored by Seb Walker, a longtime correspondent for the Emmy-winning newsmagazine. Among a number of insights into DeSantis’ past, the transcript features interviews with former prisoners and a former Naval staff sergeant-turned-Gitmo whistleblower who overlapped with DeSantis. All three allege inhumane treatment at the hands of the U.S. government, with the detainees directly implicating DeSantis—at the time, a junior-level military legal adviser—in approving and overseeing brutal measures…. Showtime’s decision to muzzle a report critical of a high-profile conservative politician also epitomizes the complaints that conservative politicians—including DeSantis—have habitually brayed in their crusade against so-called liberal “cancel culture.”
Click through for story. I can’t say I’m surprised that DeSaster didn’t want this to come out. Showtime – well, their defense woulf likely be the truth of the shade, but I can just see wanting to avoid an expensive lawsuit (especially since Republican candidates at all levels seem to be mostly deadbeats.) Of course VICE is not happy … but VICE is also apparently bankrupt.

Democratic Underground (quoted in full from Facebook, with permission) – Dear Jason Aldean – Father Nathan Monk
Quote – When I moved back to Tennessee a couple of years ago, I decided to stop by the corner store near my house to introduce myself to the neighbors. The lady working there was very friendly, and a guy was sitting in a rocking chair, going back and forth. It was country as hell, and I loved it. She starts to whisper in the way that Southern folks do when they are about to spill the sweet tea. She looks back and forth and then says, “Now, there is someone who lives on your street I wanna talk to you about. Now, sometimes, they dress as a man, but other times they dress as a woman…” I start to get nervous about what she will say next, but I bite my tongue and wait. “…well, you just better be okay with that. Because they are a nice fella and a sweet lady.”
Click through for full article, which is heartwarming. I’m not sure it’s even necessary to know what Nathan is responding to, but Jason Aldean (I don’t know for sure, but that’s probably him in the green T-shirt in the FFT) released a country song “Don’t Try That in a Small Town” (his “small town” is purely a majority white small town in the 1930’s or so) and it’s getting a lot of blowback. This is just one – but I think an outstanding one.

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 7/5/2023

 Posted by at 11:57 am  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 052023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Biden says world leaders ask him why Trump has not been held accountable for Jan. 6 insurrection

The Lincoln Project – Raging Ron

Thom Hartmann – Unmasking the Ring Leader: Is Mark Meadows Pulling the Strings Behind the Scenes?

Parody Project – Happy Happy 4th of July (CC by creators, and full lyrics here )

The Tiniest Puppy Grows Up Wrestling With His Cat Foster Brother

Beau – Let’s talk about Kremlin games and generals….

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Open Thread June 14, 2023

 Posted by at 5:54 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 142023
 

Yesterday, I was astonished to receive a “Tuesday Trivia” email from Ken Jennings. He stopped doing those years ago (after having done 800 of them.) But this one is because he has a new book. And I have to think that this is a terrific marketing strategy – emails to a list of people who followed you for 800 weeks (that’s more than 15 years.) If you are curious about the book, the trivia, or both, you can see the questions and answers here (I got two- Mahler and Marley – which is IIRC about average for me, and I don’t remember ever getting a Question 7.) The book is a compendium of everything anyone has ever believed about the afterlife, through history and across cultures, and down at the bottom of the page there is a left arrow (much like the ones under our comment sections) to the book’s main page.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker – Will the Judge in Trump’s Case Recuse Herself—or Be Forced To?
Quote – Someone has to win the lottery, right? [On Saturday, just after we spoke, the Southern District confirmed to the Times that Cannon was randomly chosen, stating, “Normal procedures were followed.” Because the judge was chosen based, in part, on proximity to West Palm Beach, Cannon was one of seven active judges and three senior judges in the pool for the random draw.]
Click through for more speculation. I have used two videos, one in Sunday’s video thread and one in yesterday’s, made by Michael Popok for Meidas Touch. He lives and has worked in the Southern District of Florida, and is the only attorney I have found who points out that Cannon is in the Palm Beach Division, whereas the grand jury and the indictment and the arraignment (and presumably the trial itself) are in the Miami Division – not only a separate Division, but als a 200-mile round trip if it comes to that. He is also the only one to notice that the Magistrate Judge assigned is from the Miami Divison. This is going to have to be addressed. A 200 mile round trip is four hours – and that’s in Colorado, which is much less highly populated than southern Florida. It’s not reasonable to expect that of anyone. I am expecting less bickering than many experts are expecting.

HuffPost – Donald Trump Becomes First U.S. President To Be Formally Charged With Federal Crimes
Quote – Trump lawyer Todd Blanche entered the plea on Trump’s behalf shortly after 3 p.m. before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jonathan Goodman, according to reporters in the room. Trump spent much of the time stonefaced, arms crossed, as the proceeding unfolded over the course of an hour. The judge released both Trump and co-defendant Walt Nauta, a personal aide to Trump, without bail and travel restrictions. Trump was, however, ordered not to contact or speak with witnesses about the case, including Nauta, who continues to work for him.
Click through for story. As expected, the presiding judge was a Magiatrate Judge, not a District Judge, and specifically, one from the Miami Division (also specifically, not Judge Reinhart.) I’m going to avoid as much as possible even mentioning Judge Cannon, unless something comes up that is factual in nature and well-substantiated, because – to quote C. S. Lewis quoting an inagined afterlife spirit of George MacDonald, “all answers deceive.”

The Nib (Kay Sohini) – Breathless
Quote – I grew up in a sleepy little suburb parallel to the Ganges, and we were forever privy to a vast expanse of sky stretching from the shore. On the weekends after dinner, my grandfather woud take us stargazing. We only had to walk up to the roof. When I moved to Calcutta for college,… I could not see the stars. And I could not breathe.
Click through for graphic essay. This is the last one I have been sitting on, but I don’t rule out using another if one comes up.

Food For Thought

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