Open Thread July 5 2024

 Posted by at 5:55 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 052024
 

Yesterday, because I forgot about the time difference, I livestreamed the final third of a Capitol Fourth. It was fine. I was glad to see a lot of performers of color, including the host. And the cannon in the 1812 overturewould have done Tchaikovsky proud. I personally wold not have programmed “God Bless America,” simply because it annoys me that Christians seem to think it’s a Christian song so they have a monopoly on iy, when in fact it’s a Jewish song, written by Irving Berlin. But they certainly could have done worse.

I’m not sure why this never occurred to me before … but in view of the fact that so many uptight Republicans live in rural areas, it seems odd that they appear tp think they can “protect” children from learning about sex by regulating porn. Kids living on farms and especilly ranches probably see more sex (granted betweem animals) than even the most enterprising city and suburban kids can manage to access on the internet. Do you suppose this isn’t about morals at all, but rather about rural people reproducing more, and the rest of us reproducing less?

I figure we’ll all be talking about this for a while. This article not only discusses the topic, but provides additional reference to knowledgeable people’s responses which could sstart a lot of conversation. I don’t, owever, think we should lose sight of the facts that our number one priority needs to be re-electing Biden, and our number two (a very close two) is giving him the Congress he needs to work with.


The above  is a snapshot. I would not deliberately send y’all to Xitter. The full text is here.

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Open Thread May 22 2024

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 222024
 

Yesterday, and I can still hardly believe it, I spoke with Lynn Squance  (Squatch). My phone rang, and after 2 rings stopped, and I hadn’t had time to read the full caller ID, but I thought the first two letters were BC,so I checked my call log, and checked my contact list, and it was her number. Except that in my contacts there was one wrong number – I had the last two digits as 81 and it was actually 61. So I called back, and she said she hadn’t called, but was happy to hear from me. She’s fine. All her cats that we knew are at the Rainbow Bridge, but she has another now named Simon who was born the day after her last prior cat died. We haven’t seen her lately because she tried to register at Disqus, and was told she was already registered, and had no idea under what username or password. We talked about ways to get around that – “logging in” through facebook, Xitter, or google – or starting a new profile. She mentioned a couple of usernames, so if she follows through, I’ll know it’s she and will pass that on. The relief is overwhelming.

Today, after a day filled with snark, we have a day with two articles “as serious as a heart attack” (though, I hope and believe, not equally life-threatening – but instead I hope life-inspiring. Although – I have seen the results of one actual heart attack which was amazingly life-inspiring – and life transforming – for the survivor. I’ll have to write about that. It’s quite a story. But not today.)

Robert Reich digs into the possible reasons why so many people are so wrong in their evaluations of Trump** and Biden – and what can be done about it.

Heather Cox Richardson covers Biden’s commenceement speeach at Morehouse College last week, adding some historical background here and there.

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Open Thread May 18 2024

 Posted by at 5:56 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 182024
 

Yesterday, Wonkette informed me about the male-genitals-shaped balloons Trump** supporters had released Thursday outside the courthouse where he is being tried. Most of us outgrow our toddler obsession with genitals at an age much younger than these people have (God knows how) achieved. Also, there was a kerfuffle in the House involving Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Marjorie Three Names. Many people have had something to say about this. My take is that I’m going to the Atlanta Black Star to get some Black folks’ take before I even begin to formulate my lily-white take.  And then, there’s this.  (And no, you aren’t losig it, Jamie is still from Maryland -that was in error.)

This story from Joyce Vance is years old – but she (and the nation) have only just learned about it now. And that fact alone may be the biggest part of the story.

Sigh. I suppose we should have known this was coming – somewhere. And it will probably be repeated. It is well sourced, but I chose this link rather than ne of the sources, partly because I thought there was value in the comments.

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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.

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Open Thread April 5, 2024

 Posted by at 6:26 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 052024
 

Yesterday must have been an interesting day. I reveived four separate Axios alerts before 1:30 pm. The first was about Democrats putting pressue on Mike Johnson over foreign aid, particularly Ukraine (sure glad to hear that.) The second was that the judge on the Georgia cas rejected Trump’s “First Amendment” challenge to the gag order – also good. The third – and this is huge – No Labels is dropping out of the Presidential race. and the final one was to announce that Aileen (“Loose”) Cannon has again dismissed a Trump** motion to dismiss his case.Four good new breaking alerts in one day is, to put it mildly, rare.

I knew that this was a Civil Rights song. I did not know it was written specifically for the Little Rock Nine. I’m glad to have learned.

I mentioned in a comment that the person who spilled the beans on Kyle Rittenhouse was the defense lawyer at his trial. This story has the details. I think he’s upset that he was taken in and wants to ensure as best he can that no one else is.

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Open Thread March 31, 2024

 Posted by at 6:04 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 312024
 

Yesterday, the opera was not an opera, but Giuseppe Verdi’s Requiem Mass. It is dramatic certainly (the Dies Irae alone takes 40 minutes to perform, and the whole mass is only an hour and a half), and Verdi was criticized for makng it “too dramatic,” but if you can’t be dramatic about death, what can you be dramatic about?

Three Substack writers this weekend posted articles which are profound, too much so to ignore any of them. Joyce Vance writes about Treump**’s latest threat of violence. Robert Hubbell writes about the real purpose of government, including quoting Lucian Truscott on the subject. And Heather Cox Richardson writes abot Russian disinformation, and how it it Russia’s strongest weapon against Ukraine, and also against us insofar as it affects our electoral process. I hate to be grim on what should be a joyous holiday – but unfortunately we can’t afford to ignore reality.

Senator Ron Wyden (the other Democratic Senator from Oregon) is asking questions which need to be asked – and answered – and that very publicly.

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Open Thread March 26, 2024

 Posted by at 6:09 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 262024
 

Yesterday, another uneventful day for me. But not for a number of public figures, one in particular.

Mary Trump would like us non-lawyers all to calm down and take a deep breath. (I’d like that too. Things are bad enough without us interpreting anything we don’t like as a catastrophe. Whych is why I don’t report more on the Trump** trials.)

Now that i’m getting the Borowitz report again, I can share him. And this is a good one. There is only one female character in the Revelation of Saint John. And I can definitely see why he’d think of her.

I was concerned about this – we probably all were – I even included a Beau video (yesterday) discussing the possibility of a veto. Well, we didn’t.

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Open Thread March 24, 2024

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Mar 242024
 

Yesterday, Trinette came by. She came straight from the hairdresser, and looked great (not the she doesn’t always.) She took out my recyclables, and, because I have now cleared as space from old boxes which is large nough to work with, vacuumed that space.once I move another piece of furniture (a table) partly into that stace, iI’ll gain access to some other areas which need to be cleared out. And I did listen to the opera, which was Gounod’s “Roméo et Juliette.” You’ve probably heard part of it – for years (and for all I know, maybe still) there couldn’t be a Miss America pageany without some young soprano singing it. I don’t dislike the opera, but I’m also not passionate about it. I hear it as elevator music. Pleasant to listen to, but not memorable. The people in the Met audience had a much higher opinion – the applause was deafening. I’m glad of that. All the major-[art singers are nice people, did a great job, and deserve credit.

Apparently I am not the last living American who doesn’t hate Merrick Garland. Joyce Vance doesn’t either. And, being a lawter, including a former DOJ prosecutor, she has some words. (For another view, here’s a gift link)

Public schools (and public prisons) are the most obvious examples of how privatization hurts everyone (except the owners of the businesses which bleed government. ITPI (In The Public Interest) is the watchdog group which monitors abuses of privatization (not that every example isn’t an abuse.) Their newsletters are often long and in fine print, difficult to read (because there is so much privatization.) This example is so egregious that they limited this newsletter to it alone.

 

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