Open Thread April 18, 2024

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 182024
 

Yesterday, I arose after a long night with very little sleep (I did rip through a bunch of Sudokus, though.) I’m yawning a little, but otherwise OK – and hoping that staying up will help me sleep better tonight. And also that I get a bunch done.

Andy Borowitz with poll results. I apologize there’s a picture – but it could be worse.

Heather Cox Richardson summarizes a whole bunch of related events here, but I believe that’s a good thing. When one is in the middle of something (and especially if one is in the middle of more than one something), it’s all too easy to forget details which may be critical.

Share

Open Thread April 8, 2024

 Posted by at 5:48 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 082024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by. I didn’t have a lot for her to do this week. I was working on my closet more than clutter. She says hi to all.

The Reich on the left is right as usual – about the likely event – and I hope he is equally right about the lag time. Much more than that and it will be too late. I apologize for not making a note of where i read this, but apparently some polling in swing states specifically showed voters positivw abot their state’s economy but negative about the national economy (which makes little sense -but i guess that’s why they’re swing states.)

I don’t know how public this knowledge is – by which I mean, technically it’s public knowledge, but no one will know it if news outlets don’t pick it up.

Share

Open Thread April 7, 2024

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 072024
 

Yesterday, The radio opera was Donizetti’s “L’Elisir d’Amore” (“The love Potion”) and I’m afraid I slept through half of it. My alarm went off and I decided not to get up. I’m not a big Pavarotti fan, and while there were other major stars of the time, including one with whom I shared a violin teacher (not of course at the same time – decades apart actually) I just wasn’t inspired to get up then. I did get up in time fpre the second act (there are only two). One of the four main characters is a “snake oil salesman” and i see enough of that in real life.

Heather Cox Richardson is an historian, not an economist – but you don’t really need to be an economist to know that “supply-side” economics does not work. You just need to be over 40 and not blind. The Biden/Sanders video she speaks of is the second with Biden’s name on it in the list of Xitter videos below her list of links. Iy’s supposed to have sound, and it definitely has CC.

April, in the South, is Confederate Heritage Month. The Southrern Poverty Law Center find that less than acceptable. So they are pushing for a celebreation of good things in southern history to replace it – or at least alleviate the bad taste of it.

Share

Open Thread February 29, 2024

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 292024
 

Yesterday, apparently, Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries, and even Mitch McConnell read Mike Johnson the riot act, at the White House. When you are the Republican Speaker of the House and even Mitch gangs up against you, you are not just doing something wrong, you are doing everything wrong, and you are probably also a worm (no offense meant to earthworms, which are vital to plants.)  On the personal side, I made a casserole in my crockpot which I had not made for literally decades, and found it as tasty as ever.  It was something I threw together after receiving all the food allergy diagnoses of both me and Virsgil.  It was a tremendous success thenm and still is.

I rooted for Alvin Bragg to win the election for DA in New York City, probably like everyone here. And also like everyone here, I was disappointed when he did not jump on Trump** immediately. And probably like everyone else, I suspected a lack of courage. Well, if it was, he appears to have grown a spine (or whatever body part you associate with courage. He has, as any same person would do in his position filed for protective and gag orders. With one exception. Joyce Vance writes:
“The threats made against Bragg personally were highly specific and graphic. They include threats to kill him, down to the type of weapon and scenario that would be used. Bragg nonetheless exempts himself from the order, and would permit Trump to continue to attack him, likely leading to more of this abuse and risk. That’s a feature that shows how reasonable Bragg’s approach is.”

Robert Reich writes on Bezos and Musk. Musk is clearly a Nazi. Bezos, I think , is just greedy, but I would not expect him to oppose Naziism if he thought he could make it pay.

I don’t claim that Heather Cox Richardson breaks down all the foreign policy considerations which are important just now – but she does discuss some you probaly didn’t know about. Not trying to be condescending – virtually no one (except professionals and maybe Beau) is ever interested in foreign policy unless something goes sour. And that’s not really the best time to start taking an interest.

(Bonus – this may give you a chuckle. Not that it’s out of character.)

Share

Open Thread February 16, 2024

 Posted by at 6:24 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 162024
 

Yesterday, I got a grocery delivery, and the driver was very helpful. I adjusted her tip accordingly.

Even if you know most of these, you will probably still learn something – I did. And your jaw may drop at the ignorance of people who believe some of the myths. Mine did at one in particular.

HuffPost Headline: The Biden Administration Is Investigating Israel’s Possible War Crimes — Despite Public Claims To The Contrary
If this surprises you, I won’t say you haven’t been paying attention, because you probably have. But maybe not to foreign policy in general and the Middle East in particular. If you are a country you simply cannot afford to break ties with a longtims ally, as an individual person might if their SO tried to kill them, or attacked one of their children. Because other allies would – not might – lose confidence in yo as an ally, and that could endanger the whole country – possibly the whole world. You have to publicly express support while privately trying to talk them down. If that doesn’t work, the smart thing is to go into detective mode, so that if you have to cut ties, the reason will be seen to be compelling, and your other allies can feel safe, while also being aware what they should not be doing if they value your support. This can be a painful process because it pretty much comes with bad things happenings. But at least you haven’t started a World War.

Share

Open Thread February 12, 2024

 Posted by at 5:56 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Feb 122024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came over again, to run the car, bring in mail, and take out recyclables (I didn’t have enough trash to make that worth while.) She says “Hi back, especially to Nameless.

This is late news, but as Susie Madrak points out, you wouldn’t know it, from the coverage it didn’t get. And it’s game-changing – if only it can gain traction.

This article from Democratic Underground is exactly what ALL the media SHOULD be saying about Joe Biden.

Dr. Biden Has much to say, and she also references Heather Cox Richardson, so I don’t have to.

Share

Video Thread 10/29/2023

 Posted by at 12:03 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 292023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Thus far, DA Willis has made NO plea offers to Trump, Meadows, Giuliani or other top conspirators.

The Lincoln Project – Trump Rally 10/23

Farron Balanced – Boebert’s Reelection Campaign Is Going Down In Flames

Liberal Redneck – New Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson

Woman Becomes Third Wheel In Her Cat And Husband’s Relationship

Beau – Let’s talk about Biden, diplomacy, and parallel tracks….

Share

Open Thread August 31, 2023

 Posted by at 5:50 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 312023
 

Yesterday, Mitch McConnell froze again, Idalia made landfall in Florida’s “Big Bend” region (which is exactly where you think it would be), our Mitch emailed his list that he and his are in no danger, and, by evening, Idalia was down to a tropical storm.  Late the night before, I read that Fani Willis has asked the judge to  put all the speedy-trial-demanders into a single trial, and therefore on the same date, October 23, if legally possible.  It hadn’t occurred to me that it might not be so I was assuming they would all be tried together (Eastman is number three.)  It’s consederably more complex than I thought.  Harry Litman explains the contingencies, in this vodeo, which has CC and therefore generates a transcript (click the 3 dots tp the right of the up-down-share line and “open trancript”.)  I hope it works out with the minimum number of seperate trials (which i believe would be four – but what do I know.)   Georgia’s doing us all a big favor and should not be required to break the bank to do it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Family Recalls Jacksonville Shooting Victim’s Last Call With Daughter
Quote – Several other relatives told the Associated Press that Gallion was a devoted father, and though his relationship with the child’s mother didn’t work out, he still had the respect of her family. “He never missed a beat,” Sabrina Rozier, the child’s maternal grandmother, said Sunday at a vigil honoring the victims. “He got her every weekend. As a matter of fact, he was supposed to have her (Saturday).”… “My heart melted for my granddaughter, because she was his world and he was her world. And now we’re trying to figure out how to tell her, because we haven’t told her yet and she’s only 4.”
Click through for more. I do appreciate the Beast telling the story in a respectful way. We don’t always see that.

Robert Reich – Globaloney: Why the Democrats’ love affair with “free trade” is over
Quote – But “globalization” is not a force of nature. How it works and whom it benefits or harms depend on specific, negotiated rules about which assets will be protected and which will not. In most trade deals, the assets of American corporations (including intellectual property) have been protected. If another nation adopts strict climate regulations that reduce the value of U.S. energy assets in that country, the country must compensate the American firms. Wall Street has been granted free rein to move financial assets into and out of our trading partners. But the jobs and wages of American workers have not been protected. Why shouldn’t American corporations that profit from trade be required to compensate American workers for job losses due to trade?
Click through for full assessment. It’s not news that unregulated anything helps only the wealthiest and hurts the reat of us. This does point up that regulation itself needs to be both accurately designed andproperly administered

CPR – [Senator] John Hickenlooper showed up at a SAG-AFTRA rally, and not just as a supporter — he’s paid his dues (literally)
Quote – He was there not just as a supporter, he said, but as a dues-paying member of SAG-AFTRA’s local chapter. That’s because the senator’s cousin, the late filmmaker George Hickenlooper, had a habit of casting him for bit parts. Among them was the film “Casino Jack,” released in 2010 when Hickenlooper was mayor of Denver. He played a U.S. Senator with one big line: “Remove that man.” “My cousin George made me do 28 takes,” Hickenlooper told the crowd near the City Park boathouse.
Click through – I’m not going to be able to keep up three a day, even in a week like this, but I thought this was cute, and I didn’t want to bump anything else for something this light. It was news to me.

Food For Thought

Share
 Older Entries