Open Thread November 17 2025

 Posted by at 5:51 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 172025
 

Yesterday, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. Most of the hands were mediocre – but Virgil got a perfect 29 hand again, and this time it was for real – I didn’t stack it – no one did. First time I’ve ever seen a real one. Also yesterday, if anyone is interested, COURIER has compiled the 20,000 documents from Epstein’s estate, released by the US House Oversight Committee on November 12, 2025, into an easily searchable repository. It appears one must sign in to google to access it. Here’s the link:

Robert Reich on what the verdict of history should be on the Apricot AntiChrist. I emphasize “should” because I know of too many individuals on whom the verdict of history is wrong. And that goes both ways. I do like Robert Reich’s idea for a monument, but strongly doubt that it will ever come to pass.

Y’all can skip this if you have had enough, but I thought it would be useful to have pretty much all the Epstein stuff that is being emphasized – all of it would be a book the size of the OED or bigger – in one place, and The F* News appears to be it for now (Along with the above database.)

Common Dreams with another reason to be skeptical of AI – which is also another reason for those who are working on it to keep doing so. As long as they don’t force me to work with it, fine.

Belle veto-proof

Dog

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Open Thread November 8 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Nov 082025
 

Yesterday, I observed that Nancy Pelosi will retire after the 2026 midterms. But she will always be the speaker in my house, in the character doll I clothed (and styled the hair) of her in the infamous Max Mara coat, with sunglasses. Bo, I don’t yet have a picture. I’ll work on getting one.

From Wonkette, a snapshot from the history of labor in America. Granted that having to pee in a bottle because you don’t get bathroom breaks, as happens at Amazon, is not as bad as getting shot and killed or burned alive, I still don’t think we have come very far.

I found a way to link to one specific part of the TPM Morning Memo, so here it is – early theories of the election. As stated there, it’s early to be sure just what happened, but still interesting. You are welcome to scroll up and down to the rest of the memo if you like.

I don’t suppose that anyone here is even slightly considering a paid subscription to The F***ing News – but just in case, you cannot pay for it with an American Express card. They will not send your payment(s) because the name offends them. But I digress. There’s a bunch in here, but what most interested me was the middle about the “lame duck” era. I found it encouraging. It starts with a header with the Politico logo, and goes down to the two maps of Virginia – maps which clearly show that land does not vote. People vote.

Two videos today because they go together. I was born in San Francisco, but I don’t think I have ever been truly homesick until seeing the first one.

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Open Thread October 25 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 252025
 

Yesterday, I was very tired out, and yesterday’s thread wasn’t posted. It is now. Also, Trinette came by after her work day ended. She is going home over the weekend, so isn’t available for Sunday. I told her to watch out for ICE agents. Also, it took a bit longer than usual, but my ballot has been received and counted- I got the emails confirming that. And the Social Security COLA will be 2.8% for 2026 (assuming we still have Social Security then.) If you receive Social Security, you probably already know that.

I don’t know about everything every First Lady has done, even just in my lifetime, but I know enough to know that First Ladies are generally not idle trophy wives. I didn’t know how much of their history happened in the East Wing. I doubt whether anyone, least of all Melanoma Melania, cares whether she has an office space. But I do care whether other First Ladies, even some Republican ones, have office space, and about their accomplishments. Someone needs to tell the Mango Menace that he doesn’t need a ballroom – he has more ball room than he could ever possibly need, in his pants.

There are always multiple stories in the Morning Memo, san this is no exception. The headliner concerns what the Nectarine Napoleon is up to in Latin America, and that is not getting a lot of coverage yet, although it appears to be escalating. But there is more, including snippets about Jamie Raskin and Jeff Merkley, so you may want to read on.

Apparently the ICEstapo isn’t gestapo-y enough for the Cantaloupe Caligula. He wants to build one with for more jurisdiction and scope.

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Open Thread October 3 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 032025
 

Yesterday, the details of an ICE raid on an apartment building in Chicago were published, including by Wonkette. It appears they simply broke down every door in the building, detained everyone, then after some hours released those they had been able to confirm were citizens. If you don’t want to read about it, I don’t blame you but here’s the link anyway.

This from The Conversation goes along with the article earlier this week about learning to be defiant. If a serious, dedicated scholar can be as far off about what the Third Reich looked like from inside, the rest of us need to take notice now.

Wow. Just Wow. Wonkette – well, it isn’t actually Wonkette which nails it – it’s District Judge Young, but Wonkette serves it up. And it inspired me to use a cartoon I have been holding, because it makes it so clear that it isn’t words, and certainly not words alone, which make terrorists.

This HuffPost article sheds some light on the Federal shutdown. And also on the messaging. Our messaging is pretty clear, and self explanatory, if anyone who needs to hear it will ever hear it (and believe it – they are so accustomed to believing six impossible things before breakfast that getting their belief is not exactly guaranteed.)

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Open Thread September 25 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 252025
 

Yesterday, The Resistance PAC and Win Without War were circulating a petition to use the 25th Amendment, but also to hold the Orange Oligarch accountable for treason. The suggested basis was his putting troops into American cities. As I assume we all know by now, the Constitution limits the definition of treason to making war on the US, or providing aid and comfort to anyone making war on the US. I think his putting the military into US cities is iffy, especially since apparently Jan 6 didn’t qualify – but at least it’s not totally unreasonable under the definition (and his working on changing “Defense” to “War” adds a little plausibility.) So i went ahead and signed this one. Not that it will go anywhere, nor am I recommending anyone else to sign it. Just explaining my reasoning. Also, Adelita Grijalva has won handily the special election for the House seat of her late father Raul in Arizona (she got 71% of the vote.) And I don’t want to hear a word about nepo babies. Yes, her highest elected office previously was for County Supervisor, but she’s not totally without experience. And then – there’s this. (Don’t click with liquid in your mouth.)

Wonkette discusses the Poopypants Pasha’s plans to profit from immigration. Is everything about money with him, or is everything just about him? Or can he tell the difference?

I suppose I could bring back the Furies, or chat with Themis, on this. But I think most of us already know the general outlines of the history of the FBI, as shared by The Conversation. The devil, however, is in the details – literally.

And I’m adding this from NBC News with the caveat that we have very little knowledge yet because I expect to se a lot of misinformation and want us to be prepared.

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Open Thread September 16 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 162025
 

Yesterday, I really overslept. I’m not complaining – I do need that on Mondays as a rule to make up for sleep lost on the weekend. But it does mean I need to be savage with my inbox. Also yesterday – at one time there was a way to link an image to a website here – but that seems to have disappeared. I am concerned that, between its size and the elongation to images we are experiencing, the cartoon may not be legible – there’s so much in jt. So here’s a link where it can be read larger and in proportion.

Chris Bowers has established an Act Blue page addressed to the points he makes. I’m not intending to push that. What I take from this is, frankly, confirmation that, although we can now successfully elect women to the Senate and to be state Governors, even to be Vice President, we cannot yet elect a woman to be President. And, at least for a while, we should quit trying. Because we have only accomplished three things trying – we have ended one woman’s career and allowed her legacyto be tarnished, and we have damaged another woman’s career path (both outstanding women), and we have handed the country over to fascists. I am not saying there will never be a woman President (although I will not live to see one). I am saying we have done enough damage for a while and we need to rebuild the country first – and to work for changes which are not political but cultural in nature.

I confess I did not watch the video that Steve Schmidt included as evidence in this post. But I have no doubt Steve Schmidt has pretty much nailed it (except that I would say Miller is a full-sized Eichmann, not a little one any more.)

From Harry Litman of Talking Feds. Not so much about law as about history. It certainly clarifies the moment – although the moment is unquestionably a dark one.

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Open Thread September 9 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 092025
 

Yesterday, Carrie B (“NannyCarrie”) emailed me the link to this article. 44 years it was there. That’s longer than I’ve been married. And the Papaya Poopy-Pants lived in the White House for four years out of those 44 and apparently never noticed it. And has now lived there for more then seven additional months and never noticed it. But it’s “a hazard” to people visiting the White House. No one could make this up.
also yesterday, there was an update on the “Ban Atwood in Alberta” story.

Not paywalled, but you’ll have to close a pop-up subscription ask. I said a while ago that I’d have to start looking at The Lever more closely. This is a good example.

I referenced the RFK hearing last week and provided a link to the video – but it was quite long and appeared to contain nothing we hadn’t heard before, so I didn’t really expect anyone to watch. Kudos if you did. Whether you did or didn’t, Heather Cox Richardson‘s analysis should be valuable.

Well, this from The F* News is interesting, to say the least. I wouldn’t call it credible. Has anyone seen this elsewhere? I did see it in “Daily Dose of Democracy.”

Yes, this is a cartoon. You just don’t usually see them along with the complete back story.

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Open Thread September 2 2025

 Posted by at 5:58 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 022025
 

Yesterday, Trinette didn’t feel she was safe to come over, but is pretty sure she will by Wednesday evening. I sent her a Jacquie Lawson card with a recipe for chicken soup. I did get a little knitting done – not a whole lot, but enough to get me finished with a yarn that was dragging me down (a ladder yarn to be precise). I’ll be finishing the garment with a normal worsted yarn which is mostly recycled fibers (I am guessing mostly acrylic.)

As Robert Reich points out, nothing here is any reason for complacency. But they are reasons for hanging in there and fighting as much as we individually can.

There are several topics in this The F* News article, but the main one, the first one, is public health – and those of us who live in blue states can all be grateful for the news here. Those of us in red states … your nearest blue state may be a good place to look for vaccines.

I threw this in as a sort of extra, because it made me so angry. The Mango Moron is not smart enough to know about the 30-day minimum himself – so some veteran must have broken his (or her) oath and told him.

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