Open Thread for January 19, 2022

 Posted by at 6:49 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 192022
 

Yesterday, I spent some time figuring out what to wear today. In this case, it’s not a matter of appearance. I’m getting my booster today, and I need to come up with clothing which will keep me warm enough in below freezing temperatiures (a high of 30 is predicted) yet still nake it easy to accesss my deltoid without indecency, while at the same time, protecting me as much as possible from airborne droplets. That is not something which is immediately obvious – or at least not to me. So thought is required.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Letters from an American (Heather Cox Richardson) – Januaty 17, 2022
Quote – In this moment of struggle over voting rights in America, it is important to distinguish between voter fraud, which is vanishingly rare and has not affected the outcome of elections, and election fraud, which is coming to characterize a number of our important elections.
Voter fraud is about an individual breaking the law and is almost always caught. It is not a threat to democracy.
Election fraud means that people in power have rigged the system so that the will of the voters is overturned. When it happens, it threatens to destroy our nation.
Click through for full letter. She puts some things together. (I would point out that by no means of them are  proven to the point of being ready to go to court.) But she is no dummy. Her newletter is free to subscribe.

The 19th – Black women in Martin Luther King Jr.’s neighborhood will soon receive monthly cash payments
Quote – That work that In Her Hands will do in the coming two years will build on that established by other programs like Magnolia Mother’s Trust, the first privately-run guaranteed income program in the country. Launched in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2018, it gave 20 Black mothers $1,000 a month for a year, growing to cover 110 in its 2020-2021 year and another 100 in the most recent cohort, which will wrap up this March. All were living 200 percent below the federal poverty line and in subsidized housing. Most are working.
Click through for details and information on the successes of previous programs. Republicans are committed to the idea that people won’t work unless they are reduced to bare subsistence level, and that then they will work for pennies. That may seem intuitive, but these programs demonstrate it isn’t reality.

Crooks and Liars – Crockett And Lake Are Poster Children For GOP Harassment And Extremism
Quote – (in a tweet from Patriot Takes) Kari Lake supporter Ethan Schmidt: “I just love harassing people, especially cancer patients because they’re weak and vulnerable and easy targets.” Kari Lake is running for Arizona Governor and appeared in one of Ethan’s videos. Lake refuses to denounce Ethan Schmidt.
Click through for story. C&L republished this from “No More Mr. Nice Blog,” which I have provisionally added to the Blogroll. He does have other things to say. And he certainly has a point in this column.

Food For Thought:

Share

Open Thread for January 18, 2022

 Posted by at 6:35 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 182022
 

Yesterday was pretty quiet, as can be expected of a holiday, I suppose.We look to be expecting snow on Wednesday and a little more Friday – I”ll expect it when I see it.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Daily Kos (Kerry Eleveld) – Democrats’ Case Against GOP Extremism Gains Momentum
Quote – But the White House has made an overt shift from the behind the scenes inside game it worked for a solid year to a very public campaign against the saboteurs of our democracy. “I’ve been having these quiet conversations with the members of Congress for the last two months,” Biden said. “I’m tired of being quiet!” he added, pounding the lectern.
Click through for story. I have said since before the election that Biden would come to this point. Yes, he’s a consensus builder. But he’s not stupid. He may have resisted, but he can see that sometimes you have to fight for the right, and this is one of those times.

Raw Story – ‘Smoking guns all around’: Conservative connects dots showing Trump ‘election fraud on a massive scale’
Quote – In his weekend wrap-up, conservative Bulwark founder Charlie Sykes makes the case that there is more than enough proof that Donald Trump and his inner circle made a provable attempt to steal the 2020 presidential election through fraud. Jumping right into it, Sykes pointed to a CNN report that stated, “…then-President Donald Trump’s allies sent fake certificates to the National Archives declaring that Trump won seven states that he actually lost,” which have also been labeled forgeries.
Click through for more from the thread, which became a conversation. No new information here – the news is in who is saying it. But don’t expect the Qrazies to pay attention.

Common Dreams – Progressives Counter Cherry-Picked Quotes With MLK’s True Legacy
Quote – As the FBI, right-wing political figures, and others came under fire Monday for engaging in the annual trend of dishonoring Martin Luther King Jr. by sanitizing his beliefs, progressives in Congress worked to honor his legacy of fighting for a more just society…. {Per Ayanna Pres;ey. “T]he truth is Dr. King was a radical dreamer with a bold vision for revolutionary change. A disruptive movement builder seeking to upend an unjust status quo.”
Click through. Anyone seeking real change must be radical about it – I don’t mean extremist – radical means “pretsining to the root.” Change which does not begin in and grow from the root may spring up quickly, but then will wither away, like the plants in the parable.

Food For Thought:

Share

Video Thread 1/15/2022

 Posted by at 12:27 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jan 152022
 

Glenn Kirschner – The case for Subpoenaing/Investigating Reps Jim Jordan & Scott Perry for Covering-Up Trump’s Crimes

American Bridge – AB21 Co-Chair Steve Bullock discusses NYT Op-Ed on CNN

No Dem Left Behind – NDLB’s Richard Ojeda on why Trump remains a grave threat to the Democratic Party

Crooks and Liars – If you can’t convince them with reason, can it hurt to try absurdity?

KAYAK – Mom’s a KAYAK Denier (oh. my!)

Beau – Let’s talk about why they aren’t talking to the committee….

Share

Video Thread 1/13/2022

 Posted by at 12:29 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jan 132022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Jim Jordan Refuses to Testify/Incriminate Trump: Here’s How it Will Come Back to Bite Him

Meidas Touch – Cult expert REVEALS the secret SECRET CULTS of Mike Pence and Bill Barr!!

MSNBC – I wouldn’t call it breaking news myself – but I like the way they talk about it. “driving the insurrection,” “right wing networks,” “knock down this conspiracy theory.”

Ring of Fire – Ron DeSantis Mocks Florida Residents After He Let A Million COVID Tests Expire

politicsrus – Jan 6 Part 2

The Lincoln Project – Lasr Week in the Republican Party – I had read that Gohmert said that, but thought it must have been an exaggeration. Nope.

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump, Pence, and updates on the committee….

Share

Open Thread for January 13, 2022

 Posted by at 6:57 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 132022
 

Yesterday, like the day before, I tried to be laid back (and pretty well succeeded.) Sometimes, I just need to do that for a few days when I’ve had too many things to think about, so the mental spinning has a chance to stop, or at least slow down. But I did make the FFT (I want to stress that when I have to insert something that isn’t square, I’m not terribly good at it. I think if I had something more like a pen and less like a mouse to hold, I might do better – but maybe not.) At least it gets the point across.

Cartoon – 13 Dreyfus Loaded

Short Takes –

Comic Sands (a George Takei site) – Houston High School Teacher Charged After Infected Son Is Found In Trunk Of Car At Testing Site
Quote – [41-year-old Sarah] Beam reportedly kept her son in the car because he had tested positive for Covid-19. Beam wanted to isolate herself from him on the way to the testing site where she was planning on having him get tested again. The high school educator decided the trunk was the best place to put her son.
Click through for more.  Yes, you read that right. SMH.

PolitiZoom – WATCH: Eric Trump, Trump Lawyer Run To Fox and Newsmax Right After Maddow Bombshell. What Do They Know That We Don’t?
Quote: Here’s what happened in just a few hours on Monday the 10th. Come, let us reason together, as LBJ used to say. First, Rachel Maddow announced that Donald Trump’s lawyers have met in person with the District Attorney of Fulton County, Georgia. Then Trump’s lawyer showed up on Newsmax and her villain du jour is Letitia James [NY], not Fani Willis [Fulton County]..
Click through  for more backgrounsd and even a couple of videos.  Rachel reminds us Of TFG’s December 18 rant, calling Democrats in the juducial systems, state and Federal, “thugs who just want to lock people up.” She postulates That that rant and the meeting of his lawyers with Fulton County are related. She may well be right.

The 19th – Lawsuits, complaints and protests are upending sexist school dress codes
Quote – “All of those girls are being framed as dangerous and as disruptive to the ‘peaceful’ learning environment,” said Shauna Pomerantz, author of “Girls, Style and School Identities: Dressing the Part” and associate professor of child and youth studies at Brock University in Ontario, Canada. “It’s a ridiculous idea to think that [editing] these pictures is going to somehow change the culture of the school. If anything, that kind of action is going to enhance rape culture in any school, and it’s going to give people the message that girls are asking for trouble if they show their cleavage.”
Click through for details and more examples.. “Dress codes” are generally written with the underlying assumptions that “boys will be boys” so girls have to hide their bodies to prevent rape But many dress codea are also racist. Natural black hair is often prohibited, and some articles of clothing which are fashionable in the black community are assumed to be “gang symbols.” This may not be the most obvious issue in a country which ia at risk of losing democracy, but it is an issue which dehumanizes people (some people, rather, at the expense of others) and does not lead to the most hmentally healthy adults.

Food For Thought:

Share

Video Thread 1/11/2022

 Posted by at 12:29 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jan 112022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Short: How Kevin McCarthy Has Made Himself a Marquee Witness Against Donald Trump

Meidas Touch – Attorney SLAMS “feeding frenzy” against Merrick Garland: “Garland is the perfect guy for the job”

Thom Hartmann – Shocking Differences Between Trumpian GOP and Democrats

Rebel Headquarters – Crumbley Parents Denied Bond As New Evidence SHOCKS Case (This case is sounding more and more like an incident out of “People of the Lie.”)

politicsrus – May old acquaintance be forgot

Parody Project – WE DO NOT SPEAK YOUR NAME

Beau – Let’s talk about Ted Cruz, Russia, and pipelines….

Share

Open Thread for January 11, 2022

 Posted by at 7:11 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 112022
 

Yesterday, I was more or less back into routine. Although I was still waiting, after 6:00 pm, for an email that the phone outage had been resolved.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

PolitiZoom – GOPers Hit New Low, Protesting Harry Reid’s Funeral In Las Vegas
Quote – [Candidate for Congress Noah] Melgeri [who took part in the “protest”] is pure MAGA. He says COVID was “an intentional act” and that General Milley should be executed, on live television no less. His wife appears at the local school board meetings and spews anti-vaxx drivel. Pure performance art out of the Greene/Gaetz/Gosar school of political theater.
Click through. People take part in protests because they want change. What change did these people want? Did they want the Senator’s body to rot above ground? Or did they just want him cremated? They didn’t say. This was not a protest, but merely a public nuisance.

Democratic Underground (bigtree) – Yes, the boat hit the iceberg, but putting children in lifeboats is destructive to their psyche
Quote – Look, I too want to survive this sinking, but I look at how people insist on wearing constrictive life-vests and taking to life boats and I sympathize with those who wants to spend their time drilling holes in the hull. Better to show this ocean we don’t fear it than to cower.
Click through for fuller analogy – This is an unspooled (translation: readable) Twitter thread with an extended analogy comparing CoViD to the Titanic. I fear it won’t reach those for whom it is intended, but it’s very creative,

Medium – What Do We Do Now?
Quote – Building the kind of movement needed to win won’t be comfortable. It means working with imperfect allies and getting outside our comfort zones. It means being open to tactics we wouldn’t have been previously. It means, for many of us, putting our personal safety at risk against an opposition that’s more than willing to engage in violence against their opponents. But we can’t win without a common purpose and a willingness to let go of what’s no longer working in favor of something new. And we can’t win without thinking, and doing bigger things — outside of the systems and institutions currently failing us.
Click through for complete opinion. Medium has a paywall, but you get 3 free articles per month. This one is scary, but I believe accurate. Of course one can only do what one can do. But one can do that, whatever it is.

Food For Thought:

Share

Open Thread for January 6, 2022

 Posted by at 7:13 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 062022
 

Yesterday, I ran through all the online diagnostics before calling CenturyLink, and I’m glad I did so. I have had my current modem for more than 9 years, and it’s been obsolete for a while now. So I really have no right to complain. I checked out the current models available, and discovered that one of the three newest models is made by the same manufacturer as my old one, and the cord array looks exactly the same, so I can install it easily – no need to brinf a tech to the house in plague time. I’m expected to get it Saturday. Meantime, I have found a flow which will enable me to work faster by moving slower, so I will make it until (probably not without some colorful language in the process, though.)

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The New Yorker (Borowitz – NOT THE NEWS!) Sean Hannity Informs January 6th Panel that Swearing to Tell the Truth Would Violate His Contract with Fox
Quote – In a written statement, Hannity said that taking an oath “to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth” would be “a betrayal of the solemn vow I made to Fox. +The members of the committee would no doubt require me to swear on a Bible,” he said. “However, I answer to a higher power: Rupert Murdoch.”
Click through if you aren’t paywalled out. Sounds like straight news to me (but I did LOL.)

Trump called her an ‘incredible woman,’ but Ashli Babbitt was a Q-nut with a violent past
Quote – Norris’ first encounter with Babbitt took place on July 29, 2016, when Norris says Babbitt rammed her SUV in a road-rage incident in Prince Frederick, Maryland. “She pulls up yelling and screaming,” Norris told AP. “It took me a good 30 seconds to figure out who she was. … Just all sorts of expletives, telling me to get out of the car, that she was going to beat my ass.”
Click through for backstory. I don’t say “full” because there is undoubteedly more to be learned. I would also call her incredible – but NOT as a compliment!

Merrick Garland speech – Assuming this would be the major topic everyome would be interested in, I listened to it. Twice. The second time with a YouTube video which has CC and therefore I could download a transcript (how good remains to be seen,) and I will figure out a way to make that available – that one, or a better one if someone beats me to it. But, to summarize, he said –
We are working on it and we won’t stop until we get everyone. If I told you any more, it would jeopardize the investigation (DOJ policy, based on experience and best practices.) We started at the bottom and are working our way up, and that is reflected in sentincing (which by implication will go up with the involvement of the offender – also best practices.) We are also working on voting rights (if the investigation takes too long, we are going to need voting rights as we never have before.) We are also working on death threats, (and you wouldn’e believe how many of those there are, and how many categories of people who have received them.) The time to deal with threats is when they are issued, not after a tragedy. First Amendment rights are important, but “protests” like 1/6 and death threats are not protected. (I thought it was clever of him to quote Scalia to support that instead of a more liberal justice, and it was a good quote.) Bottom line: We know how critical the investigation of 1/6 is for the survival of democracy, and we don’t intend to let anyone skate. We are working as hard as we can, that’s all we can tell you, so please get off our back and let us do our job.

Food For Thought:

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries