Holiday – Page 2 – Politics Plus

Personal Update December 25, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:14 am Politics

Dec 252023

Well, the USPS must have been listening to Lona – the prescription they expected to deliver next week came Saturday. It didn’t come before I started filling pill bottles for the next 2 weeks – but the informed delivery email did come before I started, so after doing the evening ones, I waited before starting the morning ones. All this while listening to Tannhäuser on the radio, which was also included in the summer season, so I won’t go into detaii, I’ll just mention it’s anoter Wagner opera in which a man achieves salvation through the (death of the) woman who loves him. This concept was huge during the Victorian era (not just in England though -a;ll over Europe.) The same time period during which they romanticized tuberculosis (which they called “consumption.”) Before you laugh too loud, remember every time period has at least one idea (usually more than one) which is generally accepted but which in a hundred years or so will leave everyone wondering how they could possibly have been so deluded. That includes us today. We don’t know what that idea (or those ideas) could be because we are in the blind time period, but you can be sure there is something.

Don’t let it – or anything else – ruin your Christmas (Catmas -we may not all celebrate Christmas, but, as followers of TomCat, surely we can all celebrate Catmas together) holiday. I’m sure I don’t have to warn anyone not to be a bully just because the two cats on the left and right are.

I’m giving you the DU link for this animal rescue video because it has some back story which IMO wasn’t clear enoughin the video alone.
https://www.democraticunderground.com/10181939014

And today’s humor – a large helping of truth.

Personal Update December 23, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:15 am Politics

Dec 232023

Well, I did manage to get everything taken care of on the 21st, although it took till the 22nd before I was certain of it. And of course learned something in the process. I knew there were such things as FSAs, qhich are funded with contributions from the person who owns the account (and/or their eligible dependents) and must be used or lost each year. I knew there were such things as HSAs, which carry over from year to year, and I always thought that was what I had. Not so. An HSA, like an FSA, is funded by the person who owns it, and by their eligible dependents. What I have is an HRA, which is funded by a third party, such as a prior employer. The only circumstances under which I can put money into it are if I have accidently spent some of it on something that isn’t covered (or something that is covered, but I have lost the documentation for.) Why does it matter? Because HSA holders are required to fill out and sign documents giving yhe old provider permission to transfer their account to the new one. Since all the money in my account comes from USAA, USAA can take care of the authorization for me. What a relief.

Here are a couple of humorous videos. There’s no new information in either, they’re just for fun.

This was on the Late Show, so you may have seen it. I don’t care. Watch it again. (Sorry the CC isn’t better but the pictures help interpret it).

This one is from Parody Project. Good CC and high production values. And cannot come true too soon for me.
I’ll sign off with a meme which is timely without being seasonal.

And here is a meme which is timely without being seasonal.

Personal Update December 8, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:30 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics, Religion

Dec 082023

Well, if the ADL is wishing people Happy Hanukkah, then I guess I can (In fact, I’m probably a day late. Even so, I have more days available.)

Theologically, Hanukkah (however you spell it) is considered to be a minor holiday commemorating a military victory. But there are reasons why it’s more widely recognized (particularly in the United States) than more major Jewish holidays. For one thing, every human culture since pre-pre-history has had sone kind of holiday, festival, ritual – centered aroind the winter solstice, and celebrating light. For another, Hanukkah, certainly in the United States, has become very much about the children. And parents of any culture can see an opportunity to teach religious and cultural principles without pushback just as well as parents of any other culture.

In fact, I find actions like those of Hobby Lobby – removing all Hanukkah merchandise from all stores – to be shameful. I’ve said this before, but I think not here. The historical events upon which Hanukkah is based can be roughly dated to 170-160 BCE. (I grant that at that time history was not considered an exact science deserving of accuracy, but there are written histories datable to at least sometime in the BCE referencing Antiochus abd the Maccabbees.) That certainly suggests that Joseph and Mary grew up celebrating Hanukkah, which in turn siggests that Jesus as a child also celebrated, even in Egypt. All these self-styled Christians who whine about this or that attempt for any person to be the person they were born to be “makes the Baby Jesus cry” should start asking themself what taking away the baby Jesus’s dreidl and gelt away – let alone latkes – does to the baby Jesus’s mood.

It’s still possible to find the books of First and Second Maccabbees in some (though not all) Catholic versions of the Bible. And Handel’s Oratorio “Judas Maccabeus” – at least parts of it – are still being sung (probably mostly by Jews for Hannukah, ironically.) I’m not trying to advocate cultural appropriation, but would it hurt us to give a nod to a story which is part of our story too? One which shows what religious persecution really means (and that it DOESN’T mean people saying “Happy Holidays”)?

Religious persecution also doesn’t mean a menorah (specifically a Hanukkiah – menorah basically means candlestick, and there are different kinds) like this one. Anything that holds the right number of candles in the right configuration will do – and probably has done, at some point in history.

Happy Thanksgiving! November 23, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:32 am Holiday, Politics

Nov 232023

Happy Thanksgiving from TomCat

And from me –

https://jlcards.com/aQ3fK8

And if you need a lttle something extra to be thankful for, this just might be it. It certainly would have made TomCat’s day – if not his whole year (he would of course wish it had happened in Oregon, but the fact that it happened at all is eexlilarating.)

Personal Update November 22, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 10:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 222023

Yes, it’s that day again – 60 years ago now. I was thinking about that recently in connection with an article on whether we shoould require the release of medical records by all candidates for President (along with tax records.) Sounds like a good idea, doesn’t it? But I have very mixed feelings about it.

In any case, before it’s too late, I want to share this cautionary article for anyone who might be honored by being invited to a Black Thanksgiving dinner but not know much about Black food culture in particular. It gave me some chuckles, a couple of gag reflexes, and a few surprises.

The Root – 17 Dishes You BET NOT Bring to a Black Thanksgiving

#4 – Green Bean Casseerole. Amongst the several polls I sent out requesting ideas for this list, this abomination was at the top. The only acceptable form of green beans is with smoked turkey neck and potatoes. Why is it a trend to make this a casserole?

#6 – Potato Salad with Raisins

Matter fact, keep anything you got with raisins in it. Keep ya potato salad, ya pasta salad, macaroni salad and the criminal attempt at a pan of macaroni and cheese if it has raisins. You must do time over this.

15 – Gelatin-Based Oddities

We’re wayyy past that odd 1980s moment when everything edible was put in gelatin. Leave it alone, babes..unless it’s Jell-O shots. Those are always welcome.

Yes, there are more. And pictures. I hope you get some laughs too.

Personal Update: I have had one contractor here and have a contract for that service – which kind of has to be, maybe not done, but at least under weigh before I can do much else. At least I am getting more confident getting around the house, and that’s a good thing.

Open Thread October 28, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:03 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 282023

Yesterday, the mass shooting in Maine reached some other news outlets, including Wonkette. I heard about it a couple of days ago from Joyce Vance. I wanted more detail before passing it on, but her take did inspire me to make today’s cartoon, and bump a different one (which I hadn’t finished anyway). Also, I received the email that my ballot has been counted. I can now display the “I voted” sticker, which was thoughtfully included in the envelope with the blank ballot. And I came across today’s Food for Thought, which is clearly a Public Service Announcement, so by all means pass it on.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Wonkette (Substack) – Search Continues For Whichever Antifa Biden Lib Forced Maine Shooter To Pretend To Be A Right-Winger
Quote – America is picking its way through the aftermath of yet another mass shooting, this time in Lewiston, Maine, where at least 18 people died and at least 13 others were wounded … when another previously law abiding gun owner stopped abiding the law and shot up a bowling alley and a restaurant. The reported casualty numbers … have varied widely, and may well rise. The suspected shooter is still at large as we write this, as law enforcement from all over join in searching for the shooter or perhaps his body and cable news fills time with expert opinion. People in the area have been told to shelter in place until the shooter is found. Businesses and schools are closed in Lewiston and several other locations around the state.
Click through for details – not that they aren’t much like every other details from every other mass shooting ever. Only the names and the numbers seem to change.

The Root – Freddie Krueger Who? Karen is the Real Face of Terror For Black America
Quote – In a world where law enforcement violence against Black Americans is far too common, where stereotypes still abound, the true face of terror is not Chucky or the Nun. It’s Karen…. Doesn’t matter if the Black person in question is a man or a woman. Doesn’t matter if they are strong or weak. Doesn’t matter if they are an adult or a child. Karen can get them. She can still drag them to hell.
Click through for story. Heaven knows people of any hue can find Karens annoying. But white people tend not to think of them as weapons of war. We need to look harder – and deeper. This goes back at leeast to the antebellum south and the character of “Miss Ann.” And it has been, and still can be, deadly.

Food For Thought

Open Thread October 27, 2023

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Oct 272023

Yesterday, I was reminded that crazy isn’t always a bad thing. Sure, there’s crazy like Republcans – and that is always bad. But there’s also crazy like your batty old Hungarian vampire Granny, which is – delightful (and especially to raise money for a good cause.) I never tire of good crazy. Is everyone ready for Hallowe’en? I hope everyone will have a lot of fun. Everything doesn’t always have to be fun – but like with no fun at all really isn’t worth living.

Also yesterdayI got the email telling me my ballot has been received. About d*** time. If I hadn’t received that today, i was going to look into a replacement ballot – since it was mailed more than a week ago.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Robert Reich – The real reason Biden isn’t getting credit
Quote – One theory is that Trump and Fox News have poisoned their minds…. Which brings me to the second theory about why Biden isn’t getting credit: Biden is terrible at “messaging.”… His speeches aren’t electrifying, to be sure. But he says what needs to be said. He’s truthful. He doesn’t exaggerate. He’s compassionate…. This raises a third theory: Biden doesn’t communicate in ways that today’s media and much of the public are able to hear. I think there’s a lot to this.
Click through for full opinion. Biden probably cannot, and certainly should not, attempt to change his own style, IMO. But his “surrogates” – withpoout pressuring rational people to adopt an emotional style, it’s probably possible to bring on some “surrogate” who already have an emotional style, who are not afraid to use it, and who can send an emotional message. (In this connection, today is the day I’m sharing the last version of the emotional cartoon I’ve been working on, and I hope to get feedback on which packs the biggest punch (or whether combining elements from more than one would pack a bigger one.)

The Good in Us – The Quiet One
Quote – Also, because there is literally no such thing as a moderate Republican in Congress, it would have to be either be an extremist or an ultra-extremist. Once Republicans made it clear that having voted to certify the 2020 election was disqualifying (Tom Emmer, we hardly knew you), it would have to be the latter. Besides, Johnson looks and acts the part—he’s a bespectacled, suit-jacketed, quiet, and respectful back-bencher who, according to The New York Times, has a “gentle style.”… And suddenly having a Speaker of the House feels infinitely worse and more dangerous than not having one.
Click through for details. Mary Trump has done the deep dive into Mike Johnson so that you and I don’t have to. Unfortunately, it isn’t pretty.

Food For Thought