Yesterday, sunset turned around. It was later than it was the day before. Good news for me. I’ll be watching sunrise also now. Additionally, I got the very few Christas cards I won’t be sending electronically ready, stamped, and into my mailbox for pickup. I hope the USPS dpesn’t get too upset with me – there re only 7, but they are all hand cancel I did look up proper postage on the USPS website to make sure I had enough.
Cartoon – (from 2013 – It was then true, up unil 2016)
Short Takes
New Mexico Political Report – State House passes redistricting map supported by Indigenous communities
Quote – Supporters say Native American communities are traditionally undercounted in the U.S. Census and therefore underrepresented in the House of Representatives. They further pointed to the history of disenfranchisement for Native Americans, who only gained the right to vote in New Mexico elections in the late 1940s or, in the case of the Navajo people, the 1960s. Click through for map. This might be even better news if it were a more populous state – but good news is good news. State houses and senates are the places our bench is built. Incidentally, the new Congressional district map being sent to the governor for signature was co-sponsored by Democrats and no Republicans voted for it … so it’s almost certainly fair.
AP News – Recall effort against Seattle socialist appears to fail
Quote – If Sawant survives the recall, it would be a boost to Seattle’s far left, which experienced setbacks in last month’s general election when business-friendly candidates won the mayor’s office and a council seat. Sawant was benefiting from votes in the mail-in election trending her way in later counts. After the initial count Tuesday night 53% were in favor of ousting Sawant. Click through for numbers. Of course it isn’t over till it’s over. but this looks good for now. I certainly hope she survives.
The Hill – California governor to use Texas abortion law tactics to target assault rifles
Quote – California has had a ban in place on the manufacture and sale of specific assault-style weapons, The Associated Press noted, adding that a federal judge overturned the ban in June, ruling that the law was unconstitutional. The state is appealing the judge’s ruling, in which he likened an AR-15 rifle to a Swiss Army knife, claiming the former is “good for both home and battle,” according to the AP. Click through for details. You may have seen this, but The Hill appears to have all the background in place, which helps immensely to gauge his chances of success.
Glenn Kirschner – All the President’s Lackeys: Bannon, Clark, Eastman & the Others. Watergate vs. the Insurrection
MSNBC – Biden Breaks Down How Build Back Better Act Will Lower Cost For Families Dealing With Diabetes
Meidas Touch – SCOTUS Poised to Strike Down Legal Precedent from Roe v. Wade
Rebel HQ – Ethan Crumbly’s Parents Face Justifiable Consequences. I’m not sure how long I have been saying “Responsible gun ownners should take the lead in drafting legislation to regulate gun ownership and use – because, if they don’t, the rest of us will, and they won’t like it,” but it’s been since before I was married, an our next anniversaty will be our 38th. It was so long ago that the NRA was still considered a responsible organization.
Really American – Madison Cawthorn Claims Women Are “Earthen Vessels” (but Chip has a good idea)
Beau – Let’s talk about not talking about race…. Most of the time I agree with Beau, and he’s right on the institutional level. But he’s wrong on the individual level. On the individual level, it’s more like, yeah, if you don’t have pancreatic cancer for example, you don’t need to talk about it in order not to be hurt by it. But if you are being eatne away by pancreatic cancer, not talking about it won’t make it go away.
Yesterday was the first day since the oandemic started that the Metropolitan Opera was able to do a live broadcast over the radio (Last season was all re-runs). It was a new opera, “Eurydice,” which tells (I can’t say re-tells because the story is very far out) the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, set in the 21st century, from the point of view of Eurydice. It’s very accessible (term of art for “easy to listen to, not a lot of dissonance”). Thatt’s a good thing as just following the plot is plenty challenging.
Cartoon – 05 MCel RTU
Short Takes
NPR – Parents of Michigan school shooting suspect are held on $500,000 bond after manhunt
Quote – “They sought multiple attempts to hide their location and were eventually tracked down after they parked their car somewhere a witness saw it,” said Oakland County prosecutor Karen McDonald. “These two individuals were found locked somewhere in a room, hiding. These are not people that we can be assured will return to court on their own.” Click through for details. I thought this was an update we’d all want to see.
Democratic Underground (Eleanor R) – Heartbreaking (tissue alert)
Quote – McClaren Hospital where Oxford community is gathered to supportthe family of Justin Shillings, one of the four teens killed this week. Justin is an organ donor and the crowd is here so that when his body is moved for surgery his family can look down andsee the love and support. Click through for picture … and comments. Don’t miss comment #15 by barbtries.
HuffPost – ‘Obscene’ GOP Blockade Stalls Dozens Of Biden Nominees
Quote – Republicans can’t actually block all of Biden’s nominees from being confirmed. But they can use the existing rules of the Senate to drastically slow down their appointments, dragging out the process of filling what have typically been uncontroversial jobs in lower-level positions across the federal government. With the GOP refusing to expedite many of Biden’s nominees, placing so-called “holds” on them at the committee level, Democrats must carry out multiple votes to confirm each one, eating up valuable floor time that could be spent on other legislative business. Click through for story. Dirty tricks and more dirty tricks. All done to “own the libs,” but really all done to hurt the American people.
Yesterday was reasonably calm, and I got some things done, but still have some de-cluttering to do. I did succeed in setting up my meds for the ext two weeks so that all I have to do is remember to take them – and I’m fairly good at that.
Cartoon (After all, it’s Tuesday) –
Short Takes –
Crooks and Liars – Sixteen Weapons, Tons Of Ammo Found In Hotel Room Near Coors Field
Quote – A maid working at Denver’s Maven Hotel tipped off law enforcement about weapons in one of the rooms there. Police got a search warrant, found 16 long guns, body armor, and over a thousand rounds of ammunition in the room, which featured a balcony overlooking the downtown area. The Maven Hotel is not too far from Coors Field, which will host the All-Star game on Tuesday. Click through for preliminary details (which may get updaed). The sad thing is that if I hadn’t seen “Coors Field” I might have passed ths by.
The Hill – Judge grills attorneys over suit challenging Michigan results
Quote – “I need to point out here that my concern is that the counsel here have submitted affidavits that suggest and make the public believe that there was something wrong with the election and that is what this is all about,” said the judge, who was appointed by former President Obama. “That’s what these affidavits were designed to show, that there was something wrong in Michigan, there was something wrong in Wayne County.” Click through for some of the back-and-forth. Kudos to Judge Parker. We need more of this.
Neighbors See Trump Waiting by Mailbox for Reinstatement Notice
Quote – Mr. Klugian said that he sympathized with Trump because he remembered “checking the mail a lot when I first retired…. If you don’t have anything to do, the mail becomes kind of the high point of your day,” he said. “He has to get into gardening or volunteering. Something. He can’t go on like this.” Click through for details. Sounds like straight news to me, but with Andy … how can you tell?
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.
