Open Thread for July 8, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 082021
 

Yesterday was quiet enough – in fact it was significantly more quiet than usual because I now have no phone service at all on my land line … so no robocall rings. But the technician supposedly comes today. Hopefully that will provide resolution.

Cartoon –

 

Short Takes –

The Daily Beast – Opinion – Former Murdoch Exec: Fox News Is Poison For America
Quote – Fox News has caused many millions of Americans—most of them Republicans (as my wife and I were for 50 years)—to believe things that simply are not true. For example, Yahoo News reports that 73 percent of Republicans blame “left-wing protesters” for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Of course, that is ludicrous. All one has to do is look at the pictures or videos of the attack to see that the violent mob was comprised of Trump supporters. Similarly, a poll by SSRS in late April found that two-thirds of Republicans either believe or suspect that the election was stolen from Trump—60 percent saying there is “hard evidence” that the election was stolen. As noted above, this ridiculous notion has been thoroughly refuted. But millions of Americans believe these falsehoods because they have been drilled into their minds, night after night, by Fox News.
Click through for more. This is a “Consider the source” story. This dude is in a position to know what he is talking about, even though he gives Rupert too much benefit of the doubt (reminds me of the KMart ads aimed at WalMart claiming Sam would have been ashamed. No, he wouldn’t have.)

The Hill – Eric Adams wins New York City mayoral primary
Quote – “Now we must focus on winning in November so that we can deliver on the promise of this great city for those who are struggling, who are underserved, and who are committed to a safe, fair, affordable future for all New Yorkers,” he said…. The race is the first in which the board sought to implement ranked-choice voting, which allows voters to list five candidates in order of preference.
Click through for some details. I disn’t follow this race, but did follow the Manhattan DA Dem primary, which Alvin Bragg won.Hopefully they will work together well.

Reuters – Judge finds U.S. 60% responsible for 2017 Texas church mass shooting
Quote – In a decision released on Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Xavier Rodriguez said the Air Force did not use reasonable care when it failed to enter Devin Patrick Kelley’s plea to domestic violence charges in a database used for background checks for those buying firearms. Rodriguez said the government bore “significant responsibility” for harm to victims of the Nov. 5, 2017 massacre at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, 31 miles (50 km) east of San Antonio.
Click through for background. Even if you remember it, it’s been a while, and a lot has happened in the meantime.

Food for Thought

Link to story in Common Dreams

 

Share

Open Thread for June 20, 2021

 Posted by at 7:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 202021
 

It is now possible to hear an opera broadcast on every Saturday all year round, and not just during the Metropolitan Opera’s season. Yesterday’s opera is “Tosca,” by Puccini, which premiered in 1900, based on an 1887 play. In it the political is the personal, and I would ccll it prescient except that, sadly, the struggle between authoritarians and the rest of us has been going on forever. But it does, at least to me, make it more poignant to consider that what happened to Tosca and Mario (and Angelotti) could conceivably happen to any of us at any time if we fail to preserve our democracy.

Cartoon TomCat has run this cartoon every Father’s Day since at least 2010 (probably before that, but I don’t think the prior blog, which was on Blogspot, remains accessible). He always protested strongly that the litter was not his progeny.

Short Takes

INDEOENDENT (UK) – The Republican Party has turned fascist – it is now the most dangerous threat in the world. (And apparently everyone can see it except us.)
Quote: Two strategies, though never entirely absent from Republican behaviour in the past, have become far more central to their approach. One is a greater willingness to use or tolerate violence against their opponents, something that became notorious during the invasion of the Capitol by pro-Trump rioters on 6 January. The other change among Republicans is much less commented on, but is more sinister and significant. This is the systematic Republican takeover of the electoral machinery that oversees elections and makes sure that they are fair. Minor officials in charge of them have suddenly become vital to the future of American democracy. Remember that it was only the refusal of these functionaries to cave in to Trump’s threats and blandishments that stopped him stealing the presidential election last November.
Click through for the full article. Share it if you can.

Crooks and Liars – What’s The ‘Critical Race Theory’ Uproar Really About? Making Enemies For 2022
Quote : The whole campaign against CRT, in fact, appears to be primarily the work of a handful of astroturfing “dark money” right-wing organizations. And its central figure is named Christopher Rufo, a longtime right-wing think tank activist with a history of promoting various kinds of spurious enemy concoctions.
Click through for details. But remember, just because only one person is behind it doesn’t mean it hasn’t already infected multitudes. Donald Trump** ia onlt one person too.

Sad news – Champ has passed. (BTW this looks like a Twitter account worth following if one were on Twitter.)

Food for Thought

Share

Video Thread 6/7/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 072021
 

Glenn Kirschner – “Lawlessness begets lawlessness”

Now This News – Paxton Smith Reflects on Her Viral Abortion Speech

Ring of Fire – Scholars Warn That Republicans Have Launched A Total Assault On Democracy

Thom Hartmann – Is the GOP Insanity Being Driven By Trump or 40 Years of Madness? – Our Tom has been saying this for years.

Rocky Mountain Mike – “Bye Bye Blog”

Beau – Let’s talk about coming together under China and good news….

Share

Video Thread 6/3/2021

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 032021
 

Meidas Touch – more Fred Wellman (singing my song)

MSNBC – All In – File under you “You can’t make this stuff up.”

Now This News – Voting Rights – also singing my song.

Robrt Reich on Police Unions -singing my song loud and clear.

Thom Hartmann – on Libertarianism

Corey Ryan Forrester – The Buttercream Dream Shoots on Racism

Beau – “Let’s talk about Republicans and not wanting to work….”

Share

Open Thread for June 3, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 032021
 

I am always So Happy when It’s Thursday. I got my groceries all in on Tuesday – it didn’t do my back any good, but apparently it didn’t do it any harm either. As usual, not all the non-perishable stuff got put away, and still isn’t, partly because I stocked up beyond my storage capacity. But it will be eventually.

Cartoon

Short Takes

The New Yorker (The Borowitz Report) – Donald Trump will be reinstated in August as President of Trump University, according to one of his supporters. The loyalist, Harland Dorrinson, told reporters, “Donald J. Trump will be reinstated as President of Trump U. and will be teaching students how to get filthy rich in real estate by Labor Day.” Dorrinson said that skeptics who claim that Trump cannot be reinstated because Trump University ceased to exist in 2010 “don’t know what they’re talking about.”
Click through to learn what “really” happened to Trump U.

The Hill – Appeals court rejects bid by landlords to resume evictions
The ruling from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals is the latest twist in a multifront legal challenge to the eviction freeze that was enacted by federal public health officials as a way to keep financially distressed renters in their homes and out of crowded homeless shelters during the coronavirus pandemic.
Well, this is good news   Click through for more details, including what to do if you are a distressed tenant (or know someone who is.)

Crooks And Liars – The Next GOP Election Steal Won’t Resemble The Last One
I don’t know whether Democrats can block the [Texas voter suppression] bill in the special session. I assume it will pass eventually. Even if it doesn’t, fourteen states have already passed restrictions on voting just since the 2020 election, with more to come.
Not pleasant, but we need to be aware. If HR1 can get through the Senate we can nip this in the bud. If not … prepare to live under real fascism (as opposed to narcissistic fake dictator in clown uniform fascism.) Click though for detaills.

View post on imgur.com

Share

Video Thread 5/19/2021

 Posted by at 2:29 pm  Open Thread, Politics
May 192021
 

Glenn Kirschner – CoViD Fraud Task Force

Meidas Touch – Bkari Sellers has no time for Laura Ingraham.

Katie Porter Strikes Again.

Rachel – Political Corruption Of Secret Service Made Biden Safety A Concern (The book is out now – this was from 5/17)

Surprise, surprise!

Beau on potential Third Party formation

Share

Video Thread 5/13/2021

 Posted by at 2:31 pm  Open Thread, Politics
May 132021
 

Glenn Kirschner on Liz Cheney’s Ouster

Meidas Touch – The Rules of the Demagogue

Don Winslow – Party of the Insane

Now This News – Critical Race Theory. People who think they are Christians seem to forget (if indeed they ever know) that Jesus came not only to comfort the afflicted, but also to afflict the comfortable.

Robert Reich – Yes, I worry too.

Something – um – different from Titus.

Beau on labor shortages. (Seeing as in my state, unemployment is capped at 75% of what you were making at the job you lost, if there are no other jobs available that pay more than that, you are going to be hurting no matter what you do.)

Share

Video Thread 5/2/2021

 Posted by at 3:14 pm  Open Thread, Politics
May 022021
 

Glenn Kirschner on “Theater of the Absurd” – an then on attorney-client privilege

Chris Hayes and guest on Rudy – a couple of days old – but priceless.

“Cool, Considerate Men” from “1776.” No CC, but here are the lyrics  This was cut from the movie because Nixon made Jack Warner cut it. But it was still available on the sound recording of the Broadway production. Now you can see it.

Beau on changes in border policy – More detail (and I think more optimism) from Beau than from The Damage Report yesterday

Beau – Yes, the SEALS could use an image makeover (deeper than that actually) Looks like they are getting one.

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries