Hope – Politics Plus

Open Thread February 24 2026

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

Feb 242026

Yesterday, I learned a little more about the “State of the Swamp” event (info at defiant.org), including that, earlier in the day, the Portland Frog Brigade is going to visit every Republican Congresscritter’s office and give them a copy of the Constitution, with a note that “This is what you swore an oath to – not a man.” Using Absurdism to fight craziness works for me. But there are also two other more serious alternate events organized by Democrats – and a group which is giving out Bingo cards for the real thing. Eventually I’ll get reports on how the “real” thing went so even though I won’t see it, I’ll have something (or likelier, some things) to say about it.

I’ve been reading that Democratic AGs have been preparing for this – and wonder how they were preparing. Common Dreams got at least part of the answer through Politico and is sharing.

I’ve always felt that “equal time” could get a bit dicey if one or more of those granted equal time were lying. So it’s good to know that the FCC recognizes this in determining what constitutes “time.”

Archived from The Lever. Palantir is a company which has me more terrified than most have. It’s no surprise that they would move if a different state with fewer and looser regulations came along. I might just mention that in he world for which the Palantiri were conceived, they were created by good entities to be used for good. That lasted for centuries – until Sauron got hold of one (there were only 7 or 8 made) and figured out how to corrupt its use – not, actually, by showing false things – but by allowing only truths which would cause despair to be seen. (The Saffron Sauron is not that smart, but I still think it’s a good nickname. And it has the additional advantage that Sauron, before he became the second Dark Lord, had been a servant of Morgoth, the original Dark Lord, who was even more powerful. The Saffron Sauron is a servant of Moscow Morgoth – AKA Putin.)

Robert Reich

Open Thread February 10 2026

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

Feb 102026

Yesterday, I heard from my mechanic. The down side of having found a mechanic I (it’s actually a repair shop with several mechanics, but I can trust the shop) is that they are always busy. They are also not the cheapest in town, but they are fair and honest. In the “fast, good, and cheap” (where you can never get all three, but you can good get two), when it comes to my car, I want good above all else. Anyway, they’ve been in touch but have not diagnosed yet. So I pushed my appointment back a week. Fortunately it’s not urgent.

Some people are celebrating Black History month – and I’m proud to say my local radio station is one of them (I guess I should say some of them – it’d every local announcer in their scheduled pre-recorded spots, most of them in their non-themed spots, and some of the syndicated programs – including the Met Saturday operas. Last Sunday I didn’t mention that the opera recording played that day was chosen by Lawrence Brownlee, a Black bel canto tenor (who once had the honor of escorting Ruth Bader Ginsberg to the curtain call after she played a speaking part in an opera presented in DC. But I digress.) Kathleen Battle, a Black soprano, was also in last week’s opera, but Larry picked it for the tenor, Alfredo Kraus, a Spanish tenor who had inspired him, even before he found out they shared a birthday – Kraus in 1927 and Brownlee in 1972, another coincidence. This article is not happy like that, but it is a necessary part of Black history because it actually happened. And the regime is doing its best to steal Black history from all of us, not just from Black people.

Is it ever the wrong time for something inspiring? Renee Good was a poet, and I found and linked to her prize-winning poem. To the best of our knowledge Alex Pretti was not a poet, but this poem clearly alludes to him and was meant to honor him, and it definitely inspired Joyce Vance. And me. If it doesn’t inspire you, no worries – just pass it by.

Apparently we were wrong to scoff at the theory that the world is run by a vast ring of pedophiles – although we were correct that it isn’t a ring of Democrats. It is a ring of oligarchs, and it’s not based on politics – but it is true that oligarchs overwhelmingly tend Republican, since the Republican ideology (“trickle down”) feeds their net worth.

Common Dreams was really hot on Monday. The newsletter had six stories, and all were on the “Wow” side. After eliminating all the ones which pretty much provided evidence for something we already knew, I chose this one. We knew Massie was working with Khanna – but I for one never expected Massie to go to these lengths. And he’s not only a Republican, but a Republican from Kentucky – McConnell’s state.

If you are old enough to remember Joe McCarthy, you can skip this video. But I do want to point out (again) that the problem with Russia has never been communism or socialism, which are not forms of government, but economic theories (Russia has not even pretended to use either since the dissolution of the USSR in 1991.) The problem with the Soviet Union was Authoritarianism – which is a form of government.) I will keep pushing this distinction until I no longer need to, or until I die, whichever comes first (and frankly I expect the latter.)

Cat

Open Thread November 11 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:55 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 112025

Yesterday, I see that the Senate appears to have caved on the shutdown. (Jeffries says he has not and will not, but we’ll see.) The calls to kick Chuck Schumer out range from statements to screams – although he was NOT one of the eight who caved. (And two out of those 47 are actually Independents, and at least one of those two was among the eight.) You can find the list and photos here (Belle also lists them.) It seems a bit unfair to me to blame all Democrats for what only 17% of them did. But on the bright side, SCROTUS has declined to hear a challenge to Obergefell. (And I’m pretty confident that if they won’t hear that, they won’t hear Loving either.) So, hopefully, one less thing to worry about. But we still have to worry about trans people, especially trans kids. Someone at Democratic Underground remarked that the Orange Oligarch will for sure end in prison, because dementia ia a form of prison – prison in one’s own body. Well, if that’s true, and in a way it is, what about being trans? Isn’t it prison to be a girl in a boy’s body, or vice versa? And to be fully aware of the discrepancy? I was born in 1945, and in the 1950s Christine Jorgensen was in the news a lot, and my mother told me that sometimes the soul of a girl is born into the body of a boy. Whether you think in terms of a soul, or a personality, or essence, or whatever it is that makes us who we are non-tangibly, can you think of a worse prison to be locked up in? For a person who has done nothing to deserve prison, yet it’s a prison from which the only escape is major medical intervention. Otherwise, there is no release, no probation, no parole, no escape but death. And the older one gets, the more invasive the surgery becomes. And Republicans would sentence these innocent prisoners to stay in prison from birth to adulthood (and longer, with the cost of health care going through the roof, only the wealthy can afford it.) At the very least transgender kids should be allowed puberty blockers. It’s no bloody wonder that the suicide rate among transgendered people is so high.

The F* News is experimenting with a weekly newsletter in addition to their dailies, wanting to go into a little more depth than they can trying to keep up with the daily chaos. This one includes more than one topic, and all are interesting, but the first one, regarding Elon Musk’s personal body count, may be the most shocking.

Some judges appointed by the Orange Oligarch are actually making judgments based on the law and the Constitution, without fear or favor, such as Karin Immergut. Others not so much. People for the American Way addresses 14 rulings from this fall so far which are, to say the least, troubling. Or I should say that it lists them and links to fuller analysis, so you can choose which one or ones to dive into.

Speaking of judges, Steve Schmidt starts this article with a powerful quote from one (a Reagan appointee, no less).

Dog

Open Thread November 3 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:56 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Nov 032025

Yesterday, in case anyone missed my comment, I got the email from Carrie that Barry has died. Of course she could still use suppoet, such as thoughts, prayers, or however you communicate with the universe. Also, I course, I saw Virgil and we played cribbage. The cards were not terribly cooperative; we sis have some good hands, but also a lot of bummers. For instance, at different times, both Virfil and I were dealt a habd with three pairs. That’s an automatic “WTF do I discard?” dilemma. And you know whatever you do is going to be wrong. But we still had fun. The sergeant in charge of Cisitation came to the visiting room to meet me (and ask how I put up with him – that’s kind of a women’s in-joke.)

Chris Bowers has a point. Things could indeed be worse. There are still good people in the US (you’re here, aren’t you? And if you’re not, you are in contact with people who are.) And many of us are doing what we can to help constrain him, and some of it is helping. We need to hang on to hope – without that, it will be worse.

You know, I really can’t comment on this – despite the fact I spent ten years in the Marine Corps myself and fired a gun or two in my day, I have never learned to read minds. I have learned that every living soul is different from every other one, even fraternal siblings, and that many are very complex and inconsistent. “Full of surprises” comes to mind. Just now, I know there are people worried about Graham Platner, and I cannot tell anyone what to think – I don’t know myself what to think. Although I associate this trait with “Conservatives,” many Liberals also have a habit of jumping to conclusions before all the facts are in.

This from People For The American Way is a huge challenge and I know not everyone can absorb it. But it is also something you will not find anywhere else sy this point. Going through the term, you will find articles and briefings on individual cases, but almost certainly not an overview. So I feel I need to share that it exists.

Open Thread June 13 2025

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

Jun 132025

Yesterday, California Senator Alex Padilla was forcibly removed from a DHS press conference held by Kristi Noem defending the indefensible. You can’t have missed it. It was in Daily Kos, Axios alerts, and enough others that you must have seen it. Also, The Conversation has an article up from an Orwell expert. And, Daily Dose of Democracy reported on how the Mango Moron was met at the Kennedy Center the previous night.

Up until now, I have felt Lever Reports pretty much overpromised and underdelivered. But this article appears to be right up there with ProPublica, POGO, and ITPI

From Huff Post. Leave it to Republicans to get all pissed off over anything that takes away the smallest iota of attention from them, them, them. I wish I thought this article would stand a chance of reaching its intended audience. Sadly, I don’t.

I didn’t want to hold this until Saturday, partly because there is certain to be more news by then which will deserve an audience. So, three articles.

Cat/Dog (rerun?)

Open Thread March 11 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 4:40 pm Politics

Mar 112025

Yesterday, as I hinted Sunday would happen, I slept very late. But I did have time to discover that at least some merchants will allow a customer to change their email address, even if it is also the user name, without changing anything else in the account. Of course they want a second form of verification, but it doesn’t have to be by text, it can be by email or landline. I didn’t het many changed, but I am quite relieved. And I managed to put this together. I also found a couple of Belle eposide worth sharing, and as I almost always do, looked t=at the end for other videos wich might be ineresting. I was drawn to a speech by David Brooks. I’ve not been a fan of Brooks, but he started with acceptinf responsibility for what he and others of his ilk did to America, and demonstrated that he can laugh at imself, so I stayed. Toward the end, he parapgrased T. S. Eliot in a quote which spoke to me so loudly, I had to look it up, and will eventually put it into a meme. But not today.

https://harrylitman.substack.com
Harry Litman is a contributor – I think a founding contributor – to The Contrarian, but hw he has also kept his own Substack, “Talking Feds.” The attorney who joined Meidas Touch with his “Legal AF” is Michael Popok. And then there’s Joyce Vance (“Civil Discourse.”) All three are former DOJ prosecutors, and very familiar with how it is supposed to work. (I’m not intending to diss Glenn Kirschmer “Justice Matters” nor Andrew Weissman “Andrew Weissman” in the same categories.) In this article he has written a thought experiment rather than news. I won’t say you can find news anywhere, because you can’t, but you do have a lot of resources where you can find actual news. A thought experiment is harder to come by (although it may bee no less depressing.)

And then there’s John Pavlovitz, who wants us to hang on to hope without falling into complacency, challenging as that may be, and is always worthy of attention.

Open Thread December 30 2024

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

Dec 302024

Yesterday, we lost one of the only two Presidents (of my lifetime – because I wasn’t the ones before that through good chunks of their lives. I have thoughts but no evidence.) whose entire lives were marked by a deep love of, and an equally deep commitment to, pure goodness. I’m just not able to process it yet. Nameless, however, has posted an In Memoriam – you’re on the home page just scroll down one post, and if you are on the page which allows comments, go back one post with the direction under the comments section. (And, after that, do whatever you did one more time to read a new “Sound Off” by Freya. I’ll try to send a letter out but don’t know whether I’ll be able to. As nearly as I can tell, he died while Virgil and I were playing cribbage (and enjoying it immensely.) I don’t believe he would have minded that one little bit.)

I do wish Robert Reich would take a look at The Political Compass. Yes, I realize everything is linked – but for those of us not as smart as Robert (and I am certainly one), looking at them all at once is distracting. And, frankly, the pictures help. I would have no problem to adding civic morality to economic systems and government style to make a three dimensional graph – which I guess Windows can now do that. (Adding personal morality would alienate far too many Americans.) Also, I disagree with myth #11. I’m afraid that one’s true. I grant they may not have been ignorant before they started following Trump** – but having done so for eight or nine years – they are ignorant now.

h
Christmas is over, but Hannukah continues, Kwanzaa has begun, and New Year’s Day awaits. So it’s still the holiday season. (And Robert Hubbell also has a surprise holiday gift in the astrophotography today.)

Open Thread November 5 2024

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

Nov 052024

Yesterday, I learned that Kamala Harris had appeared on Saturday Night Live’s cold open along with Maya Rudolph. (Yeah, even with the extra hour, I didn’t get through Sunday’s emails on Sunday.) Mitch, sweetie that he is, had sent me a link to the NYTimes article on it, which I did archive, but frankly I don’t much care what the NYTimes has to say about anything any more. So here’s a link to the Cold Open on YouTube. Also yesterday I learned that Quincy Jones died Sunday – and I might not have learned that without subscribibg to The Root’s free enail newsletter, so much has the election sucked the life out of all other news (although in the evening I did hear about it on CPR Classical.)

Heather Cox Richarddson has just returned fro a thirteen month book tour, and is admittedly exhausted. But, while o tour, everywhere she went she was asked the same question – to wit, how she managed to maihtain hope in the face of – well, everything. this is her answer. I’m not adding a tissue alert – I needed one, but I think that’s at least in large part because I’m low on antidepressant just now – and I don’t see this history being taught in red states any time soon. But the history itself is filled with hope.

Joyce Vance’s “The Week Ahead” (also from Sunday evening) may not be as radiantly hopeful as Cox Rixhardson, but it is full if information which should not be missed. What we don’t know about, we cannot defend against. And it’s not all bad. There’s some good news also. (And did you know that chickens can purr? The previous day’s column even had a short video with sound which proves it. I am speechless.)

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