Apr 252025
 

Yesterday, Andy Borowitz was “reporting straight news” again. I won’t say it made me smile, because it didn’t, but maybe it will someone. (And I can’t respond to his question. Free subscribers cannot comment at Substack unless the owner opens the comments to us, and the only one I’ve found so far that foes consistently is Wonkette. But, if I could answer, I’d say Kash Patel. Those eyes – he really looks the part.) Also yesterday, apparently DHS has posted Kilmar Abrego Garcia‘s home address in Maryland, forcing his wife and kids to go into hiding.

It took me a couple of days to get this posted. If anyone knows someone, or knows someone who knows someone else who is an illegally fired Federal Civil Servant, There is a nonprofit called “Work For America” which has set up a program to help them find new jobs. Since this program is new, it’s difficult to check its bona fides. I would start by checking out the list of partners on their home page, none of which I recognize – but then I haven’t been looking for work since I retired either. I grant it sounds too good to be real, and I certainly wouldn’t send them any money without knowing more, but if it is legit it could be a needed lifeline for some very deserving people.

https://19thnews.org/2025/04/supreme-court-children-books-lgbtq-censorship/
This article from the 19th is a few days old – but the issue is not going away any time soon.0

This article at Joyce Vance’s Civil Discourse contains a video which was originally on the other guy’s site – which is why it sounds like Joyce is the guest – because she is. It’s not quite 40 minutes. I found it very listenable. There is stuff in it about their respective religious traditions, and it occurred to me I don’t think I have done this rant here before because I never thought it was needed, and it may not be needed here. So I’ll make it as brief as I can. At many liberal sites, especially those which encourage commenting, I see people all the time pontificating that “religion is the problem.” But, just as alcohol is not the problem in alcoholism, it is not religion which is the problem. It is the abuse and/or misuse of religion which is the problem. (For some specialists in allergy and intolerance, alcoholism has been described as an “addictive allergy,” but I won’t push that metaphor now.) If you can tolerate them discussing what is good in their respective religious traditions, there’s a lot of good advice in the discussion. If not, there’s a short article to read.

And this, also from Joyce Vance, is bad news which we cannot afford to ignore. I’m not saying thet the Civil Rights Division eliminated the stacking of the deck against the most vulnerable, because that would have been impossible. But over the years it has done a great deal to alleviate that deck-stacking, and without it we will be in big trouble.

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Mar 122025
 

Yesterday, Katie Porter announced she is running for Governor of California. Here’s her announcement video (I had to unmute it, so if you can’t hear it, check that.) I was so heartbroken to lose her from Congress – I hope she wins. (It’s also in the back of my mind that many Governors have gotten into the Senate from the Governor’s Mansion.) Here, i have been trying to export my bookmarks and passwords – whether I format the one which has uncooperative operating system and processor, or break down and get a new one, I’ll need that. I easily exported the bookmarks, but the passwords in this version of the browser cannot follow the instructions. I can and did export from the 8.1, but those are not up to date, although it will help. Exporting takes the form of a CSV file, so maybe I can edit it some before importing. One piece of good news is that although Yahoo mail does not work at all on the Win8.1, the Yahoo notepad still works just fine. I’ve gotten enough addresses changed that the new inbox is looking more like a real inbox by the hour, but am still working.

Joyce Vance on something other than law/politics. She explains why the choice.

Just one word…… Stravinsky.

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Nov 012024
 

Yesterday, of course, was Hallowe’en. Without writing a novel, I need to provide the background that one of my backups when there’s a program on the radio i don’t like (or static, even worse) is “The Score” – a one hour each week program on film music which keeps a two-week archive on line. I went there today and listened to a program on scary movies rated G. The only one i found truly terrifying, and that really only because he featured its poster, was “The House with a Clock in the Wall” from 2018. Jack Black then just looks way, way too much like JD Vance now. And he was playing the good guy!

From ProPublica. Sure, this is Tennessee. But it’s also a preview of a Trump** second term anywhere and everywhere for anyone whom Tru,p** and his demons consider to be “the enemy within.” No one deserves this.

Sheesh! They are everywhere! Shasta County isn’t in the southern part of California – it’s about halfway between Sacramento and Oregon. The county seat even has a couple of universities. Stupid just is as stupid does.

Three million blind GOPs,”, See how they lie,”, They all ran after the people’s votes, tried to claim they were faked in totes, so much dumber than baby stoats, three million blind GOPs. Pardon me, I can get flaky when I’m mad.

 


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Oct 192024
 

Yesterday, another document was released in the insurrection case. It’s an appendix and essentially describes what Jack Smith expects to prove with which evidence, if I understand it correctly (as I type, I haven’t seen it yet.) Also, Dan Froomkin of Press Watch has published an opinion piece for Press Watch on what the mainstream media should be doing (as opposed to what they are doing.) I’m not holding my breath for anyone in the MSM or even small and local media to pick up on it.  Oh. amd Robert Reich’s election video of the week is here.

A Democratic Underground member found this on the Coachella Valley Subreddit. Sadly, I’m thinking that no major news outlets will ever pick up on it. And I haven’t seen any do so yet. So I thought I’d better post it.

Been waiting a L-o-o-o-ong time for this. While I’m happy about it, I’m still sad about those before “Don’t ask, don’t tell” who were treated even worse. I worked with a couple of Lesbian enlisted who were pretty clearly a couple. Even then (late sixties) no one minded but the Corps. One was transferred, and not just transferred, but transferred to Okinawa (I was in San Diego at the time.) It was just plain cruel. The one who was left asked if I would let her use my home hone to call the other, and of course pay for the call. And of course I agreed. It was – I hate the word pathetic, it sounds so condescending, but it was that impressive how grateful she was (it may well have saved the other woman’s life. Which didn’t occur to me then. But knowing what I know now, I think it’s likely.)

I haven’t shared Andy Borowitz lately because I haven’t been terribly impressed. I don’t think he’s losing his touch at all, but I think the GOP has gotten to the point of being next to impossible to satirize because they are so extreme already. But I did get a chuckle out of this one. I’m sure most eveeryone has seen the interview or t least a clip or two from it (if not, go find one now – even Steve Schmidt had nothing but praise for Kamala.)

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Oct 152024
 

Yesterday, I read Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead.” A day late, but since yesterday was Indigenous People’s Day, the week doesn’t start until today. Certainly not SCROTUS’s week – and she includes the SCROTUS week’s calender in her post.

It amazes me that it seems to have taken so long, and so much more evidence, for so many people to see this. I don’t even remember how long I’ve known this, except that it was sometime in his first (and I hope last) term.  I expect Robert Reich has known it for a minute also, but this is the first time I have seen him write about it quite this way.

I think that Wonkette’s Robyn Pennachia does a fine job with this story. She manages to make it both laughable and chilling at the same time, which is not all that easy. I have a bumper sticker – I’ve has it for more than 20 years and have always been afraid to put it on my car, here in Colorado Springs, the crazy Christian capital of the West. And people like the one Robyn describes are why. The sticker says, “Jesus called. He wants his church back.”

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May 232024
 

Yesterday, I observed that Donald Trump** is now claiming that Biden ordered him assassinated, specifically on the day of the raid on Mar-a-Lago. Magats are, frankly, to evil to eben be able to imagine a person who just wouldn’t do that, so perhaps we should counter with something like “Democrats get things done. If Joe wanted him assassinated, he’d have been assassinated. He wasn’t. End of story.” Also, among the petitions I signed was one for Thomas and Alito to recude from the Trump** immnity case. Actually, I’d rather leave those to on and have the three he nominated recuse.Knocking out those two still leaves it 4-3, and the best hope we have is for Roberts to do the right thing. But if we knock out Gorsuch, Javanaugh and Barrett, it’s now 3-3. Unless Roberts does the right thing, there’s an unbreakable tie.

I’m going to word my hanky alert differently on this by quoting Shakespeare’s Mark Antony: “If youhave tears, prepare to shed them now.” Yes, I’m preaching to the choir. But sharing it couldn’t hurt.

Just as I’m highly in favor of the National Interstate Popular Vote Compact, because I don’t see any possibility to amend the Constitution without the nation being able to see that the popular vote works, I also don’t see equirable tax reform happening unless people can see it works. That’s why I;m posting this,and enci=ourage sharing it as widely as possible.

And here is yet another article which desperately needs to be widely shared. I’ll try to help on this one with the”Food for Thought” cartoon below.

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Mar 062024
 

Yesterday, I got another grocery order. I loaded up on fresh fruit and also got some fresh vegetables, one of which is intended to be in ingredient in a new crockpot recipe – so I’ll cut this short and go back to working on it.  But P.S. – this is the T-shirt.)

As usual, Mary Trump has a lot to say. This time it’s about the cognitive issues of her uncle. She starts by quoting one of his former White House advisers on what she (the adviser) has seen since 2016. But then, Mary also goes back many years ago – as far back as when Donald got chosen and Fred disinherited. This makes his current state appear even more disastrous.

Axios sent out a news flash that Nikki Haley won the Republican primary in Vermont. Only that one, but it means Trump** cannot clain a sweep. Betcha Biden can. (And I find it hard to believe Bernie’s Vermont preferring Trump** over just about anyone, so it makes sense.)

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Sep 262023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump urges Republican to shut down government to STOP the prosecutions against him.

Thom Hartmann – Will You Vote For Puppy Killers? Why The GOP Is Betting On It

MSNBC – A general reporting to an unstable president’: Report exposes challenges for Milley under Trump

Farron Balanced – Terrified Trump Is Asking His Lawyers How Bad Prison Will Be For Him

Rescue Cat Lives In Liquor Store

Beau – Schumer, Tuberville, and turnarounds….

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