Nov 232021
 

Yesterday, another quiet day.I love quiet days, but it makes it difficult to find much if anything to say about them. I guess that’s all right, though.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

AP News – Native American confirmed as head of National Park Service
Quote – Sams is Cayuse and Walla Walla and lives on the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation in Oregon. There, he gained a reputation for being unflappable. He has worked in state and tribal governments and the nonprofit natural resource and conservation management fields for over 25 years. “He is known for being steady at the helm and taking challenges in stride,” said Bobbie Conner, director of the Tamastslikt Cultural Institute on the 270-square-mile (700-square-kilometer) reservation.
Click through for more details. It took way too lokg to confirm him – but it’s done now.

Daily Kos (Tevye) – Dead Man On The Ground. Bullets Flying. Others Running For Safety. He Ran Straight Towards A Madman.
Quote – As a young man, Anthony struggled with mental health issues and drug dependency. And seven years ago, he quit cold turkey and never relapsed. He went to counseling for a few years, but he regarded two things as his savior…..his skateboarding community and his activism.Any marginalized group in his community, be it those of color, those from the LGBTQ+ community, Jews ( he was Jewish himself ), Muslims, First Nations peoples….. if you were oppressed, you had a friend, advocate and defender in Anthony. He was there for you.
Click through. Hanky alert. I can tell Tevye is angty, but he knows, none better, how to transform that anger into gried, and then into resolution.

Smithsonian – What Kind of Turkey are you?
Quote – More than just a traditional holiday trimming, the turkey is an American icon. Native to our continent, turkeys were domesticated by the ancient Maya, called a respectable “Bird of Courage” by Benjamin Franklin, and have been officially pardoned by Presidents since 1989. The Smithsonian has over 155 million objects in its collections—including a fair number of turkeys. This Thanksgiving, find your inner Smithsonian turkey by taking our short quiz!
Click through to take the quiz. I took it ans was told I am “The Dignified Turkey.” That may be the first time anyone every called me dignified – and it may also be the last!

Food for Thought –

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Nov 222021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Federal Judges Say Trump is Responsible for Directing his “Pawns” on Jan. 6; Reject Bannon Delay

Reuters – Biden ‘knew he was making history’ with Harris as VP: WH

Thom Hartmann – Why Getting Pregnant Increases Your Chance of Being Murdered By 16% (No, Thom, it’s not amazing. Horrifying, yes. Amazing, not so much.)

MSNBC – Why Biden’s Build Back Better Bill Won’t Add To Inflation

Rescued Goose, Mini Horse Are Inseparable — Watch Them Get Adopted Together

Beau – Let’s talk about CRT and thanksgiving dinner….

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Nov 222021
 

Yesterday, I realized it was a slownews weekend. Of course, thet oesn’t mean nothing pappened – far from it – but it does explain whi I am including a poem (a very worthwhile one, I might add) as a story.

Cartoon – 22 NatIslam uploaded

Short Takes –

The New Yorker (Sasha Debevec-McKenney) – Kaepernick

The New Yorker is famous for its cartoons and its investigative reporting. It’s also known for the fiction it publishes – but not so much for poetry. Maybe it ought to be. This one is short, only 3 lines longer than a sonnet, but gets in more than you would think possible.

Law & Crime (referral) – When in Rome? American Tourists Fined After Breaking Into the Colosseum Just to Have a Drink
Quote – “During the early hours of Monday morning some people noticed two young men drinking beer in the Colosseum, facing outwards on the second level,” Rome’s carabinieri police force said, according to CNN. “They alerted a police car nearby, which then stopped the two young men on Via dei Fori Imperiali.”
Click through for a little more. Just in case you needed reminding how absurdly stupid and stupidly absurd privilege is.

The Guardian – Fauci warns time running short to prevent ‘dangerous’ Covid surge in US
Quote – Coronavirus cases across the US are rising again for the first time in weeks, and approaching 100,000 per day. Experts fear that this week’s Thanksgiving holiday, for which tens of millions of Americans will travel for indoor celebrations with family and friends, will fuel a further surge…. “We still have about 60 million people in this country who are eligible to be vaccinated who have not been, and that results in the dynamic of virus in the community that not only is dangerous and makes people who are unvaccinated vulnerable, but it also spills over into the vaccinated people,” Fauci said on CNN’s State of the Union on Sunday.
Ckick through for full reasoning (as if reasoning ever got through to MAGAts.) I’ve got a goodly amount of toilet issue now, but I might just add another package or two to my next grocery order anyway.

Food for Thought –

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Nov 212021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Defendant Jacob “QAnon Shaman” Chansley Sentencing to 41 Months in Prison for Capitol Attack

Meidas Touch – Kyle Rittenhouse NOT GUILTY verdict will inspire more vigilante killers

MSNBC – Media Dilemma: How To Cover Indecent Politicians Without Amplifying Them? (Sadly, Rachel is one of very,very few who even ask this question. But it’s nice for me to know that another of the very, very few is in Denver.)

politicsrus – Kevin Is a Creep

Caffeinated with John Fugelsang – Ep #3 Bribe Back Better

Puppet Regime – Obstreperous Turkey

Beau – Let’s talk about bad news for DeJoy and good news for the postal service….

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Nov 212021
 

Yesterday, the radio opera was “Luisa Miller” by Verdi.  If you know a little about opera but have never heard of it, there’s a reason for that – the plot is even more depressing than most opera plots.  The only bright spot is that the protagonist (I really can’t call him a “hero”) manages to muster up enough strength just before he dies to kill the villain.  It does have many beautiful melodies, and I would definitely rather hear it than see it, so there’s that.

Cartoon – 21 Piltdown uploaded

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Meet Acting President Kamala Harris
Quote – Going under anesthesia for a routine checkup and colonoscopy (cancer screenings save lives, folks) Joe Biden handed over the reins of the US Presidency to Vice President Kamala Harris. She’s Acting President Kamala Harris for a few hours today, and she’s the first woman in history to have that honor. An “honor,” by the way, that Mango Mussolini was too chicken sh*t to bestow on Mike Pence.
Click through for some witty tweets. ICYMI, this happened Friday.  And Joe came through the physical just fine.

Democratic Underground (gab13by13) Most ransacked office on 1/6.
Quote – The most ransacked office the day of the failed coup was the Parlementarian’s [sic] office where the Electoral college ballots would have been stored.
Click through for possible reasoning. It’s short. Only a footnote. But, as Agatha Christie used to have Poirot say, “It gives one furiously to think.”

Daily Kos (Joan McCarter) – Biden boots Bloom from Postal Service board, DeJoy’s days as Postmaster are numbered
Quote – “The USPS serves hundreds of millions of Americans across the nation every day,” the White House wrote in the statement announcing the nominations. “President Biden is committed to supporting USPS workers so that they can continue delivering for their fellow Americans, particularly those in rural communities, veterans, and older Americans who rely so heavily on the Postal Service. President Biden is also committed to strengthening and modernizing this critical public institution and its services to ensure it continues serving the American people for decades to come.”
Click through for a story we have all been waiting for what seems like forever. Bloom won’t actually be out until December 8 – but it’s now carved in stone that he will be out.

Food for Thought –

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Nov 202021
 

Glenn Kirschner – While We Must Accept the Rittenhouse Jury’s Not Guilty Verdict, We have Much to Learn & Miles to Go – Here’s the link to his OpEd.

Meidas Touch – McCarthy’s Harangue

Thom Hartmann – Inside The GOP’s New “Leave It To Beaver” Southern Strategy  Mitch

Armageddon Update – Screaming From The Sane Center

Brent Terhune – We’re Hiring!

Beau – Let’s talk about the other case and verdict…. He’s right, we need to look at the good along with the bad. You can read more here, but Beau pretty well covers it.

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Nov 202021
 

Yesterday (techncally, although it seems like the day before), I went out a bit after midnight to look at th eclipse I wasn’t expecting much bcause the forecast had been for 86% cloud cover. However, I was able to get a pretty good view, straight overhead. Impressive. I stayed until it looked like the thumbnali (close to that color too – maybe a wee bit more orange) and then went in as the temperature was close to single digits. And then went to bed and to sleep.  And eventually woke up.  And came here and posted.  And I reached out to the campaign for the NYT gift link, but had already writtrn my remarks, and I didn’t re-do everything.  Hope it isn’t too confusing.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Daily Kos (Walter Einenkel) – FBI raids homes of Colorado election clerk and former Boebert campaign manager
Quote – On the morning of Nov. 16, the FBI conducted federally-authorized law enforcement actions into potential criminal activity by employees of the Mesa County Clerk and Recorder’s Office and others associated with those employees. The activity occurred in both Mesa and Garfield Counties at four separate locations. Investigators with the 21st Judicial District Attorney’s Office (Mesa County, Colo.) and the Colorado Attorney General’s Office assisted in the operations. No arrests were made, and the operations are related to ongoing investigations. Per order of a federal court, all documents related to these operations are sealed.
Click through for what details are not sealed. I can’t tell you how happy this makes me.

Mother Jones – Disinformation Isn’t Just a Tech Problem. It’s a Social One, Too.
Quote – The rise of disinformation is the product of long-standing social problems, including income inequality, racism, and corruption, which can be easily exploited to spread false information online. “Saying that the disinformation is the problem—rather than a way in which the underlying problem shows itself—misses the point entirely,” the report quotes Mike Masnick, founder of Techdirt, as saying.
Click through for story – I suppose it’s arguable which comes forst, like the chicken and the egg, but wi need to be fighint on every front, and even then, we will not be able to eliminate the monstr. We may be able to make it controllable.

New York Times – San Francisco’s Top Prosecutor Will Face a Recall Election
Quote (from his email, because I was paywalled out of NYT) – San Francisco voters elected me because of the promises I made: I promised to end cash bail. We’ve done it. I promised to reduce youth incarceration. It’s down by 50%. I promised to release innocent people from prison. We launched an independent commission to ensure no innocent person is languishing behind bars. I promised to hold police accountable. We filed homicide charges against the officer who shot and killed Keita O’Neill — the first time in our city’s history that homicide charges were brought against an on-duty police officer.
Click through for the NYT story with a gift link – which means you are not paywalled out even if you are not a subscriber. And spread the word. Turnout is even more critical in recalls than any other election! And don’t cut the link – all that stuff is needed to pass the paywall.

Food for Thought –

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Nov 192021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Steve Bannon’s Ridiculous Court Performance Exposed

Meidas Touch – “Let’s Go, Brandon!” (They’re going to be sorry they came up with that chant.)

Now This News – Julius Jones sentence commuted. If you have been following this at all you will be glad to see this.

Political Voices Network – What is Gosar Even Thinking?! [Richard French]

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party

Stray Cat Shows Up At Fire Station And Moves Right In With Firefighters

Beau – Let’s talk about making the case and ruining Thanksgiving….

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