Open Thread May 27 2025

 Posted by at 5:59 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 272025
 

Yesterday, as I was starting to check email, my radio station played a piece by Chopin, and when it was over and the DJ back announced it, she said “Frederic Chopin,” but what I thought I heard was “President Chopin.” There’s nothing wrong with her pronunciation, nor with my hearing – but apparently my brain is over-fixated. Sigh. Also yesterday – I don’t know whether this will actually work for anyone else, but I kind of got slapped in the face by my white privilege. One of the websites at which I found a birthday card last year was having a sale, and I had so much difficulty then, I thought I’d look now for birthday cards for Trinette’s two sons. We’re talking about young black men, in their twenties, whom I would probably recognize if I saw them on the street but we’re not close the way I am to their mother. So I did a search there for “birthday card black man.” I got a result of 106 pages and managed to get through 17 or 18 of those pages, despite constantly second guessing myself – “that’s gorgeous, but I don’t know whether they care much about history or African heritage – will it look like I’m talking down?” or “that’s funny, but will it look like I’m laughing at them instead of with them?” I finally managed to find 10 cards, although one is for Virgil (it says “Happy Birthday from the best decision you ever made” – he will know I’m laughing with him because he tells me that – a lot) to get a quantity discount on top of the sale prices. But it took a lot of time and a lot of self-examination. Also yesterday – ironically on Memorial Day, Korean War veteran and long time (but now retired) Congressman Charlie Rangel (in his day known as “the lion of Lenox Avenue”) died at age 94. May he rest in power.

Since yesterday was a holiday, I thought The Week Ahead from Joyce Vance would be appropriate for today. And there’s a lot of it to digest.

Robert Reich has pretty much seen it all. If he says something is “truly horrifying,” it must actually be so – at least. Possibly worse.

I guess Roberts hasn’t learned anything yet. I’m still hoping he’s capable – the other Republicans, with the exception of Barrett (surprising though that may be, it seems to be true) are incapable of learning anything.

Share

Open Thread January 24 2025

 Posted by at 6:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 242025
 

Yesterday or the day before, I mentioned three special elections coming up which should be winnable – and the more of them get in, the slimmer the house majority becomes. Here is the link to a PAC called “Youth Save Democracy” which concentrates on GenZ and Millennial voters and has a “Special Elections Fund” currently for these three elections. Also yesterday, ay least one person is rejecting the Peach Prevaricator’s pardon. When tried, she pled guilty, and said, “We were wrong. This is what I deserve.” She was sentenced to, and served, two months. Now, she has an attorney writing a letter of rejection for her to make her rejection an official matter of record. Both The Root and Democratic Underground have this story. Several DUers posted – ar least one got it from the BBC.

I pay no attention to DAVOS, and I’ll be surprised if anyone elsehere does. But Robert Reich does that for us – and oh boy, does he have their number.

I didn’t know that Elno’s grandparents were Nazis – but I can’t say I’m surprised. I did know he is on the spectrum, but it’s ben a minute since I stopped giving him any mental slack because of that. Did anyone know he had once visited Auschwitz? I didn’t. Schmidt says of Auschwitz: “There is a duality at Auschwitz that is shattering. It is simultaneously a space of utter madness and hyper-rationality.” But that’s not really a duality. G. K. Chesterton more than a century ago that if you apply strict rationality (or as Spock would say logic) to erroneous premises (such as “alternative facts”), the result is insanity. But Schmidt’s point in the essay is not that, but the disappearance from the memory, at least the American memory, of the history which produced Auschwitz and the other “camps.” And, though he doesn’t mention it, the disappearance from American collective memory which modern Nazis are attempting to make universal of slavery, Jim Crow, lynchings, massacres which taint our own history, along with hostility to just about every immigrant group we have ever seen.

Share

Open Thread September 29 2024

 Posted by at 6:11 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 292024
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was Wagner’s “Tristan und Isolde,” recorded in July at Bayreuth – the venue which mad King Ludwig of Bavaria spent a fortune on, and which has all the bells and whistles which were available in the late 19th century (Wagner would hav loved CGI.) It takes 4 hours to perform. This production is fortunate that the adulterous love affair depends on a powerful magic love potion, because the betrayed husband is orders of magnitude better looking then the betrayer. It’s just as well I won’t see it (and the only available picture is of part of a program cover which says “Bayteuth” and has Wagner’s autograph.) The music is gorgeous. This is one of only two Wagner operas I bought in vinyl when I was buying vinyl. Some musicologists say that the first chird of the overture (known as “the Tristan chord”) paved the way for the harmonies of 20th century composers. But to opera fans, it’s less the chord and more what Wagner does with it which make the opera a favorite.

It’s been a minute since we had a real head-shaking Karen story, but this one from the Atlanta Black Star definitely qualifies. SMH.

If you have seen any ads for “Trump watches” – and, if you have, I know you haven’t bothered to read the fine print – you might get a sardonic chuckle out of the facts Mary Trump brings to light in her Substack column.

Share

Friday Fun: Herr Drumpf Doubles Down on His Grifting

 Posted by at 2:57 pm  Politics
Aug 062021
 

From the same grifter that last month offered “autographed” photos of himself for $45, Herr Drumpf this week asked his Trumpkins to vote for their favorite design from four offerings to then become the “Offical” [sic] Trump membership card.   Trump’s Save America PAC, according to Insider, sent out at least two emails with the four selections of red-and gold cards, similar to credit cards.

“The card you select will be carried by Patriots all around the Country,” the first email said. “They will be a sign of your dedicated support to our movement to SAVE AMERICA, and I’m putting my full trust in you.”

The Trump team said in a follow-up email, “We’re about to launch our Official Trump Cards, which will be reserved for President Trump’s STRONGEST supporters.”

“We recently met with the President in his Florida office and showed him four designs,” the email continued. “Originally we were planning on releasing just one design, but when President Trump saw the cards on his desk, he said, ‘These are BEAUTIFUL. We should let the American People decide – they ALWAYS know best!'”

[EDITOR’S NOTE: “They ALWAYS know best!”  He’s right – both Hillary and Biden beat him with landslide votes!]

But two glaring oddities were immediately noticed:

[1] He misspelled “Official” as “Offical”

It’s not all that surprising.  After all, we knew they were Nazis – but obviously they’re not GRAMMAR Nazis.

Even more understandable when you meet the proofreading team for the membership card:

[2] Donnie is no longer even trying to hide his true feelings.  He brazenly included the official symbol of the Nazis that was first used in 1920s Germany.  So it’s not a bit difficult to believe that The Former Guy (TFG) would go with the Third Reich’s official symbol – the Iron Eagle!

As you knew would happen, the Twitterverse pounced!

The Nazi’s Iron Eagle quickly became a favorite topic.

 

 

And it’s not the first time TFG has used the Third Reich’s Iron Eagle.  Remember the Trump/Pence “America First” T-shirts?

 

And since request for an armband was raised, I decided to go ahead and design one for them myself:

Word on the street is the card will be well worth having.  If your Visa or Discover card is declined at Starbucks, you can use it to at least buy a cup of covfefe.  It probably won’t be long before we see TFG borrowing Capital One’s credit card slogan: “What’s in Your Wallet?”  I can see it now:

Of course there will be other perks (but only if those Trump businesses still exist) …

 

Rep. Eric Swalwell was kind enough to add a disclaimer for the card:

 

I think this is a good Bottom Line summary of TFG membership card grift:

 

 

Share