History – Page 28 – Politics Plus

Video Thread 3/14/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:47 am Open Thread, Politics

Mar 142022

Glenn Kirschner – Mike Flynn Pleads the 5th; He Should be Ordered to Active Duty & Court-Martialed for his Crimes

Meidas Touch – Exclusive: Ukrainian Diplomat has a message for America

The Daily Show – Russia Threatens to Abandon American Astronaut in Retaliation for Sanctions

Vox – How a no-fly zone would change the war in Ukraine

Armageddon Update – Freedumb Convoy

Sprouts – Skin in the Game: No Risk No Learning

Beau – Let’s talk about a unique proposal going after oligarchs…. Well, this is an interesting development. Did you notive he started with “Ahoy,” not “Hi there”?

Open Thread March 14, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:32 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 142022

Yesterday, I managed to make two trips out to the recyclables bin and one tp the trash bin (and neither is actua;;;y full yet. I know there are disadvantages, but DST is far better suited to my biorhythm than standard time. The first day the sunset is an hour later is also the first day I can summon up the energy to schlep stuff around, which I have been putting off for days. (And I didn’t even get up all that early.) So I am on the side of peple who want to keep DST all year (which would also eliminae the stress that comes with “springing forward,” and studies suggest it would also save lives and energy, and have other benefits.) And – I almost forgot – Happy PI Day!

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Short Takes –

The New Yorker – Did George Washington Have an Enslaved Son?
Quote – [West Ford’s] descendants have demanded that Mount Vernon recognize Ford for his contributions to the estate, which was near collapse during the decades after Washington’s death. They also argue—citing oral histories from two branches of the family—that Ford was Washington’s unacknowledged son, a claim that Mount Vernon officials have consistently denied. As that debate continues, Black civic organizations in Gum Springs are engaged in related battles to save their endangered community.
Click through for backstory and current issues. Absolutely no one that I can see except The New Yorker is covering this (but I didn’t search for small local news outlets.) Jefferson’s (white) descendants – most of them – have learned to live with the truth. AreWashington’s tough enough? Also, there is more than genealogy in this story.

Daily Kos (David Neiwert) – ‘Patriot’ threatens Nevada’s governor at restaurant, and Republicans cheer the eliminationism
Quote – This kind of rhetoric is not simply violent but eliminationist in nature: That is, it’s discourse intended not simply to oppose a political or cultural foe but to dehumanize and demonize them, to render them nonhuman objects fit only for elimination—vermin, diseases, existential threats. It’s a powerful precursor to real-world violence because it not only obliterates any compunction about killing, it positively creates permission for it…. [Joey] Gilbert … published a long post on Facebook…. “That time is upon us where these fraudulently elected leaders of ours will not be able to walk the streets alone,”
Click through for discussion. (My Daily Kos newsletter has stopped coming again, but Crooks and Liars is reprinting enough to keep me in touch.) Neiwert has put his finger right on my deepest fears. I lived through the sixties when one leader after another was getting shot and killed. I am still jittery about it. I am not expecting anyone to target me personally … but they don’t have to in order to ruin my life. This is real.

Women’s History – The Conversation – Deaf women fought for the right to vote
Quote – As a researcher of deaf history, including deaf women’s history, I work to illuminate the often hidden history of deaf people and their unique contributions to the world. I have unearthed historical information about deaf women suffragists and assembled it into an online collection chronicling what is known—so far—about these women and their lives. Despite harsh, discriminatory conditions, low pay, and lack of recognition, countless deaf women have fought with brilliance and dedication for personal and professional recognition, including for the right to vote.
Click through for several individual stories. This was publshed last year, but reprinted this year in Yes! Magazine. I prefer original sources in any case, but especially when the original source is one I know everyone can access.

Food For Thought:

Open Thread March 13, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:05 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 132022

Yesterday, the opera was “Ariadne auf Naxos,” which, in the announcements this week, was referred to as a combination of “high drama and hijinks.” It’s about two groups of actors who have been hired to provide after-dinner entertainment for a count’s (or duke’s, I forget which) party (so you can add high privilege to the mix.) In the first act (which Strauss called the “prologue”) we meet all the actors as they squabble about which group is to go first (and other things). Finally, they get orders that both are to perform simultaneously. Of course, there’s more squabbling; no one likes that, since one is an opera comoany with a grand opera, and the other is Commedia dell’Arte, including slapstick. It appears impossible. In the second act (which Strauss called the opera), they do the impossible. I wouldn’t describe how they manage it (even if I could) because that’s kind of the point. But for this performance, the Met made it even more complex by starting with the chorus singing the Ukrainian National Anthem.

As incongruous as it sounds, there was a time (around WWI) when our nantional anthem did open every opera performance, just as sports events still do. But that was long ago, and even those who survive to remember it have I suspect mostly forgotten it. So this gesture — well, I applaud it, but I admit it carries a lot of baggage. For as long as I can remember, the Met has worked hard to stay detached from world events. And there has been pressure on it to recognize some world events, but it hasn’t budged. Until now. I suppose, given that it has disinvited Anna Netrebko from next season, I shouldn’t have been as surprised as I was.

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Short Takes –

Mother Jones – I’m a Cop With a Trans Daughter. Lawmakers Want Me to Arrest the Doctors Who Saved Her Life.
Quote – I mean, if I think back to before the doctors, I’ve got pictures of her from the year before she came out, and you can see the look on her face. Like she’s not there. As her health care kicked in and she got more confident about who she was, she became more outgoing, making friends. She never used to talk to people hardly at all, unless she really, really knew them. Now you get her started and you can’t get it to stop. She started her own online group on Discord for kids like her, so they’d have some place to talk. She’s trying to write a book. Before she never wanted to be in crowds, and last night we went to a Billie Eilish concert together.
Click through for article. I’ve been saying that misogyny is more powerful even than racism. I don’t exactly think anti-LGBTQIA is part of misogyny (I don’t want to disregard or diminish the effect of any form of bigotry), but I do say they are related as part of opposition to anything other than straight male. And I believe that opposition does transcend racism even.

Democratic Underground (majdrfrtim) – I heard from one of my UKR paratrooper buddies Tuesday.
Quote – Anyway, for most of the rest of my times being deployed I sent him money every month to help him and his growing family so they could buy an apartment. Just after the invasion two weeks ago he sent me a photo of his military kit (rucksack, sleeping bag, bedroll, etc.) with the caption, “All your presents are at work again.” That took my breath away. Since then, I’ve been checking that platform several times daily looking for word from him, his wife, or any of the other guys I know. As the situation over there has worsened, I have engaged every resilience option at my disposal to just get through each day.
Click through for this very personal account. It’s easy to get caught up on the big picture of big events and thereby to miss how such events affect every person individually.

Women’s History – HuffPost – Congress Finally Renews The Violence Against Women Act
Quote – It’s been an embarrassingly bumpy road for VAWA reauthorization in Congress. The law’s authorization lapsed three years ago. Once upon a time, this was legislation that passed unanimously in both chambers, and it was uncontroversial to support programs credited with stopping violence against women and saving people’s lives.
Click through for details. We once again lost out to the NRA, and the renewal is only for five years. But it’s something. We still have a lot of work to do if we are going to be able to keep it – and the rest of our democracy.

Food For Thought:

Open Thread March 12, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:18 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 122022

Yesterday, while looking for short takes (and finding the first one), I was (as I often am) reminded of something written by C. S. Lewis. I was pretty sure the quote in question was in “Screwtape proposes a toast,” so I looked to see whether that might be available on the ‘Net, and indeed it is (in pertinent part), for free, with some emphasis added, at the link on the title. With the caveat that it’s not always easy to read things that come from Opposie Land, I can’t recommend it highly enough. It is more accurate now than it has ever been/. The phrase “scary good” comes to mind. (It’s also not that long. It’s not a book like “The Screwtape Letters,” but just an essay.)

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Short Takes –

Letters from an American – March 10, 2022
Quote – Freedom House documents that for sixteen years, global freedom has declined. Authoritarians are undermining basic liberties, abusing power, and violating human rights, and their growing global influence is shifting global incentives toward autocratic governments and away from democracy, “jeopardizing the consensus that democracy is the only viable path to prosperity and security, while encouraging more authoritarian approaches to governance.” Over the past year, 60 countries became less free, while only 25 improved.
Click through for the full letter. In her “notes” she includes a tweet from Anne Applebaum which is accurate as far as it goes, but vastly underestimates the antiquity of the practice, which can be traced back to ancient Greese and is almpst certainly older.

Daily Kos (David Neiwert) – Outcome of Michigan militiamen’s trial in plot to kidnap governor could have broad consequences
Quote – [I]f the Wolverine Watchmen’s legal defense is able to succeed by establishing in court that the methods used to build the Michigan case are unsound, it could have far-reaching consequences for the government’s ability to investigate these groups—as well as to prosecute other related cases, such as the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection prosecutions. It also could feed the conspiracist claims by Tucker Carlson and others that the FBI manipulated those rioters into performing criminal acts. Most militia groups have kept a lower profile since the Michigan kidnapping bust in October 2020 and the post-Jan. 6 arrests, according to Rachel Goldwasser, a research analyst with the Southern Poverty Law Center. The outcome of the Michigan trial, she said, may “indicate whether they stay in their foxholes or come out as a force in public again.”
Click through for details.

Women’s History – Wikipedia – Edith Cavell
Quote – She is celebrated for saving the lives of soldiers from both sides without discrimination and for helping some 200 Allied soldiers escape from German-occupied Belgium during the First World War, for which she was arrested. She was accused of treason, found guilty by a court-martial and sentenced to death. Despite international pressure for mercy, she was shot by a German firing squad. Her execution received worldwide condemnation and extensive press coverage.
Click through for bio. The night before her execution, she said “Patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone.” Though she may well have spoken afterwards, those are generally considered to be her last words. It’s a thought which is not popular with governments … but it transcends governments and is definitely worth aspiring to.

Food For Thought:

Open Thread March 11, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:36 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 112022

Yesterday, It snowed again – which was not predicted – and stayed sub-freezing all day – which was predicted. And it felt cold, colder than usual, inside as well. The other day i made a reference to the ki-ki-bird, and I shall now explain it. It was a joke, when I was in service, that at bases like Adak, AK, one migh, when it was sub-zer, hear the call of the ki-ki-bird: “Ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-ki-RIST, it’s cold!” It’s not that cold inside today .. but I’ll bet it is outsode!.

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Short Takes –

ProPublica – When Billionaires Don’t Pay Taxes, People “Lose Faith in Democracy”
Quote – [Senator Ron] Wyden’s bill seeks to counteract a technique that the ultrawealthy can use to avoid income taxes: They hold on to their assets and simply avoid the income — and tax — that comes when they sell them. The rich can live lavishly by employing a technique known as “Buy, Borrow, Die,” in which they buy or build assets, borrow against them and then avoid estate and gift taxes when they die.
Click through for details. It seems self-evident to me, but I’m sure some wont believe it without “receipts” (and some won’t believe it regardless of evidence.)

The Hill – FBI agent: Suspects in Whitmer kidnapping plot arrested over ‘real concern’ they might obtain explosives
Quote – This comes as prosecutors allege that the four men, [Adam] Fox, Barry Croft Jr., Daniel Harris and Brandon Caserta, plotted the kidnapping of Whitmer due to their frustration of statewide COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. They planned to snatch her from her vacation home and blow up a nearby bridge to slow authorities’ response to the incident.
Click through for story. May the conviction be swift and the sentence appropriate.

Women’s History – Huff Post – Republicans Keep Attacking Biden’s Judicial Nominees For Being Good Lawyers
Quote – It’s been a pretty over-the-top and performative few months for the Judiciary Committee. But cutting through the drama, what’s not amusing is what Republicans have actually been arguing: that poor people charged with crimes don’t deserve any legal representation at all, and lawyers representing them should be ashamed for doing it.
Click through if you can stand to. Cruz and Hawley in particular – it would be a real public service if they could be investiga6ted back to birth. You just know that crimes would be found. And I say that knowing that both hold security clearances.

Food For Thought:

Sorry but I just had to add this:

Video Thread 3/10/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:10 pm Open Thread, Politics

Mar 102022

Glenn Kirschner – Bill Barr Has Direct Evidence of Trump’s Criminal Intent & Must be Subpoenaed by DOJ for Grand Jury

Thom Hartmann – Did Young People Forget Cold War?

MSNBC – McFaul: Captured Russians Have No Explanation For Why They’re In Ukraine

Rebel HQ – Richard Ojeda RIPS Into The “People’s Convoy”

RepresentUs – Elizabeth Warren Rails Against Dark Money

Women’s History – Armageddon Update – with Mrs. Titus

Beau – Let’s talk about why Lindsey Graham is on Russian TV….

Open Thread March 10, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:47 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Mar 102022

Yesterday, more than one newsletter was so hot, I found myself overwhelmed. Just some samples – Headlines from Crooks and Liars: “Indictment of Rand Paul In-Law May Lead to Even Bigger Fish” “Trolling Putin: Street Renamed ‘President Zelensky [sic] Way in Front of Russian Embassy” “FINALLY: Senate Passes Anti-Lynching Bill, 67 Years Later” “Irishman Plows His Truck into Russian Embassy: ‘I’ve Done My Bit, Lads'” Headlines from The 19th: “Raising a transgender child in Texas has been one long political emergency” “2022 elections are important, women say — but a poll suggests they may be too overwhelmed to prioritize politics” Headlines from Wonkette: “You Want A Fugitive Uterus Act? Missouri Will Give You A Fugitive Uterus Act” “Michigan GOP Nominee, World’s Worst Dad Says Truly Vile Sh*t About Rape” “Grisly Murderer Goes All Mean Girls On Joe Biden” Not to mention the breaking news from Colorado Public Radio (i did put this in a comment on yesterday’s Open Thread, but in case you missed it) “Election security breach leads to charges for Mesa Clerk Tina Peters.”

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Short Takes –

NM Political Report – A small Texas-based group urges New Mexico counties to oppose 30×30
Quote – It didn’t take long for a small group founded by the daughter of a couple involved in the 1990s Sagebrush Rebellion to mobilize after President Joe Biden released an executive order in January 2021 that called for conserving 30 percent of the country’s lands and water by 2030. Since then, American Stewards of Liberty have successfully led counties across the United States to pass resolutions opposing the initiative, including five New Mexico counties—Chaves, Otero, Catron, Quay, Lea and Sandoval. San Juan County may pass such a resolution in the future.
Click through for details. Funny how right wing “grassroots” seem to alwats turn out to be well funded PACs.

ProPublica – Billionaire-Backed Group Enlists Trump-Supporting Citizens to Hunt for Voter Fraud Using Discredited Techniques
Quote – “Voter rolls are very, very important to the process,” Florida software and database engineer Jeff O’Donnell told the gathering of 300 in late January in Chippewa Falls, deeming the rolls “the ground zero” of what he called Democratic plots to steal elections. The only way former President Donald Trump could have lost his reelection campaign in 2020, O’Donnell said in an interview, was if voter rolls had been inflated with people who shouldn’t have been able to cast ballots.
Click through for full story. This is so deluded it would be laughable, were it not so dangerous.

Women’s History – The 19th – The only all-Black women’s unit sent to Europe during WWII is awarded a Congressional medal
Quote – Led by Lt. Col. Charity Adams Earley, the highest-ranking Black woman officer at the time, the 850-woman battalion departed from New York in 1945 for England and later France. The unit included medics, dining hall workers, police, transportation, administrative and other support service members. Their mission: processing millions of letters and packages that had been backlogged, unopened and collecting dust for months and even years, a crucial task that kept soldiers connected to their families.
Click through for story. I had not known this. Now that I do, I can only say “:About G-D- time.”

Food For Thought:

Joan Baez outside her house with one of her recent painting portraits. pic.twitter.com/5Gf1TpPa56

— Greg Mitchell (@GregMitch) March 8, 2022

(If you click on the link, you can see more of Joan)

Video Thread 3/9/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:25 pm Open Thread, Politics

Mar 092022

Glenn Kirschner – NY DA Bragg Ends Trump Investigation, Misleads about Reason for Not Releasing Resignation Letters OK, I was wrong. Dammit. This is not good.