Justice – Page 157 – Politics Plus

Open Thread for July 21, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:00 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 212021

Those of us who remember polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, and all that went with them, may sometimes have trouble getting through to (and in the process become frustrated by) nnti-vaxxers, who don’t remember that. Roald Dahl (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and other masterpieces) lost a daughter to measles – to measles encephalitis, to be precise. He wrpte about the experience years after, and someone at Democratic Underground found the piece and shared the story. Of course it’s a huge hanky alert. But if you can think of anyone who might be helped by hearing or reading it … you’ll find it at the link. Dahl was ot a perfect human being (for one thing, he was known to be anti-Semitic.) But no one deserves that.

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Short Takes –

Acosta Warns Of A Five Alarm Fire – Coups, Hitler, Voter Suppression
Quote – What will you do if a second insurrection happens? What if they are successful in taking over the government? We are standing there, rule book in hand, screaming at the other side to FOLLOW THE RULES, while they shoot us with mace and bear spray, fire assault rifles at us, cover their faces with war paint, and scream “MAGA MAGA MAGA!”
Click through for story and video. Of course he’s right. I hope people who need to listen do listen. And that they don’t disregard him because he doesn’t yell or scream.

APNews – New chief selected for Capitol Police after 1/6 insurrection
Quote – The decision comes as the Capitol Police and other law enforcement agencies are struggling to determine the best way to secure the Capitol and what direction to take the 2,300-person force that guards the building and the lawmakers inside it and functions as mashup of a national security agency and local police department…. The Capitol Police Board, which includes the House and Senate sergeant at arms and the Architect of the Capitol, is charged with oversight of the police force and led the search.
Click through. The 1/7 interim appointment was not intended to be permanent.

The Hill – Trump ally and ex-campaign adviser Thomas Barrack charged with secretly lobbying for UAE
Quote – “The conduct alleged in the indictment is nothing short of a betrayal of those officials in the United States, including the former President,” Lesko said. “Through this indictment, we are putting everyone — regardless of their wealth or perceived political power — on notice that the Department of Justice will enforce the prohibition of this sort of undisclosed foreign influence.”
Click through for more. Also, Glenn Kirschner discusses this in today’s video thread. Incidentally, there’s been a story floating that the Biden DOJ declined to prosecute Wilbur Ross for lying to Congress. That’s false. It was the Trump** DOJ which did that.

Food for Thought:

Video Thread for 7/20/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:32 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jul 202021

Glenn Kirschner – Defendant Hodgkins Receives Lenient Sentence. How Will It Impact Other Insurrection Prosecutions?

Thom Hartmann – GOP Killing Kids & Grandma to Own the Libs?

politicsrus hasn’t posted for a while, but now has three up. First: Smart campaigning is here

politicsrus #2: Make John Happy – looks old, but we can’t take these Senators for granted. And we need to keep then

Now This News – Police Use Bag of Chips to Save Stabbing Victim’s Life

Puppet Regime – Putin Has a Solution for US Democracy

Beau – Let’s talk about Legos, being your own worst enemy, and the Block 19…. From what Beau says, it apears Lego just made the Legos, and the kits were the brainchildren of (and assembled by) someone else.

Open Thread for July 20, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:53 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 202021

Here’s a personal opinion, with which anyone is welcome to disagree. I believe that the DOJ should research court records to determine the longest sentence that anyone has ever received for a conviction of a single count of possession if narijuana for persona l use Then, the sentence for Capitol rioters should all be at least one day longer then that. I’m pretty sure eight months doesn’t meet that criterion. It is, however, definitely better than nothing.

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Short Takes –

AP News – In step to shut Guantanamo, Biden transfers Moroccan home
Quote – Almost 800 detainees have passed through Guantanamo. Of the 39 remaining, 10 are eligible to be transferred out, 17 are eligible to go through the review process for possible transfer, another 10 are involved in the military commission process used to prosecute detainees and two have been convicted, a senior administration official said. The 10 eligible for transfer are from Yemen, Pakistan, Tunisia, Algeria and the United Arab Emirates.
About goddam time. Click though for story.

Reuters – France honours Rev. Jesse Jackson with the Legion d’Honneur
Quote – A political activist, minister, and former shadow U.S. senator for the District of Columbia representing the Democratic party, Jackson has been involved in civil rights activism since the 1960s, when he worked alongside Martin Luther King…. “From your earliest years, you were hungry for knowledge and justice, and you are a special friend of France, a brother for us,” Macron said in a solemn address at the Elysee palace.
Click through for a little more, including photo.

The 19th – Senate Democrats take fight to protect voting rights to Georgia
Quote – Amy Klobuchar, the Democratic head of the Senate Rules Committee, which oversees federal elections along with the chamber’s day-to-day procedures, said the panel decided to convene its first field hearing in more than 20 years in Georgia because its legislature passed an “egregious” restrictive voting law earlier this year. “We cannot keep our heads in the ground, you’ve got to go out there and see exactly what’s happening,” Klobuchar told The 19th ahead of the hearing.
Click through for details. It’s not guaranteed to work, but it is something. It can’t hurt.

Food for Thought:

There is a new book out about plants. The title is “This Is Your Mind on Plants.” The last name of the author is “Pollan.” Yes, you probably could make this up, but who would believe it?

Video Thread for 7/19/21

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

Jul 192021

Glenn Kirschner appears to have taken a day off – and heaven knows he’s entitled.

Meidas Touch – Here’s Why Republicans are KILLING Their Voters

Pro-Trump, Profanity-laced Signs Cause Problems In Roselle Park. And to think, the family’s name is actually “Dick.” You can’t make this stuff up.

Corey Ryan Forrester – John Jacob Johnson Jr: Walker County Texas Ranger

1. Grumpy Street Cat (Grandpa Mason) LOVES Being A Grandpa To Foster Kittens

2. For Grandpa Mason, on his 3rd gotchaversary (hanky alert)

Beau – Let’s talk about Tucker Carlson, Dietrich, and June….

Open Thread for July 19, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 192021

Yesterday I managed to get off of the back of my lap long enough to fill my car’s gas tank, so that if I have to idle it for 20 or 30 minutes from time to time to make sure the battery stays charged, I won’t need to worry about running out. I was gobsmacked by the changes in the landscape since I last drove by the gas station I used – there used to be about a two-block-long strip mall and now there’s just tall grass. This is not the south, where if you park your car in the wrong place on Friday you can’t find it for the kudzu on Sunday – instead we are high desert – so it must have been gone for at least a few months.

Cartoon – 7/19 “pinkframe”

Short Takes – I don’t generally double up (and certainly not triple up) on sources on any given day … but this combination of stories was just too – colorful – to resist. Think of it as a break from serious news.

Law & Crime – Man Allegedly Opened Fire at Police, City Code Compliance, and Crew Hired to Mow His Lawn
Quote – On Friday, July 16, 2021 at approximately 0830 a.m., the Fort Worth Police Department along with Fort Worth Code Compliance arrived at the 4800 block of Cedar Springs Drive in reference to an ongoing Code Compliance issue. The call originated for an execution warrant for a high grass violation.
Click through for more. Twelve inches is unusually generous for grass and weeds, IMO.

Law & Crime – Oklahoma Woman Arrested After Commenting on Police Facebook Post That Named Her An Accessory to Murder
Quote – The department included a screenshot of Graves’s comment in its Friday Facebook post about her arrest. A Facebook user whose name was redacted responded to Graves, writing, “giiiiirl you better stay off social media they can track you!!” A second user wrote, “Lorraine Graves aint [sic] gonna be as funny when you get processed.”
Click through for sequence of events. Facebook. What can I say.

Law & Crime – Police Sergeant Accused of Making Child Porn, ‘Lustful Touching’ After the FBI Put His Picture on Wanted Poster
Quote – [The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children] employs a “team of analysts who work tirelessly to help identify clues in images and videos” that might help locate abused children, the Center said in a blog post. That team discovered an image of John Doe 44, which the FBI in turn chose to make public. “Within hours of the FBI releasing his photo to the public, he was identified and arrested,” the NCMEC said of the defendant.
Click through for more, including good information about the NCMEC. Sigh. And then some people wonder why other people don’t trust the police.

Food for Thought: Could the people in these stories have benefitted from more parental guidance?

Video Thread for 7/18/21

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:52 am Open Thread, Politics

Jul 182021

Glenn Kirschner – With Donald Trump It’s Always About the Grift: His Latest Plea for Cash from the Red Hat Crowd

Meidas Touch – Jenna Ellis HUMILIATES Herself | Weirdo of the Week

Thom Hartmann – Is This America’s Last Chance At Multiracial Democracy?

RepresentUs – What the F@#k Is the Filibuster? Everyone here knows this, but passing it on could help someone – maybe.

Puppet Regime – Jeff Bezos Has a Solution for Work-Life Balance

Republican Accountability Project on Twitter

Introducing the superheroes for COVID: #CovidFriends pic.twitter.com/YNhzQIkxl0

— The Republican Accountability Project (@AccountableGOP) July 16, 2021

Liberal Redneck – PREGNANT MAN EMOJIS AND FREEDOM PHONES YALL I haven’t seen the emoji, but the phone … well, here.

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump’s coup denial….

Open Thread for July 18, 2021

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:43 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 182021

Yesterday I drafted and sent an emeil to the visiation staff to ask what I need to do to plan a visit. Yes, there are instructions on line, but they don’t answer everything. I don’t expect a reply until sometime Monday. I do know they can see a jpg file because in the past I’ve attached jpgs to express thanks and they’ve told me they can see them.

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Short Takes –

Reuters – Death toll rises to 170 in Germany and Belgium floods
Quote – German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier visited Erftstadt in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where the disaster killed at least 45 people. “We mourn with those that have lost friends, acquaintances, family members,” he said. “Their fate is ripping our hearts apart.” Steinmeier said it would take weeks before the full damage, expected to require several billions of euros in reconstruction funds, could be assessed.
Click through for details, including video. well, there you have it. The US is not exceptonal. Every part of the world is sufferiung consequences.

APNews – Biden pledges appeal of ‘deeply disappointing’ DACA ruling
Quote – In his statement, Biden urged Congress to move forward with legislation to permanently protect those covered by the program. “Only Congress can ensure a permanent solution by granting a path to citizenship for Dreamers that will provide the certainty and stability that these young people need and deserve,” the president said. “I have repeatedly called on Congress to pass the American Dream and Promise Act, and I now renew that call with the greatest urgency,” he said. “It is my fervent hope that through reconciliation or other means, Congress will finally provide security to all Dreamers, who have lived too long in fear.”
Click through for story. This is heartbreaking, and it shows – again – why it is so important to have qualified and humane judges in our courts.

Common Dreams – Florida-Based Doctor Arrested on Suspicion of Plotting Assassination of Haiti’s President
Quote – Haitian authorities said that 63-year-old Christian Emmanuel Sanon worked with a Miami-based private security firm to recruit the mercenaries who carried out the assassination last Wednesday. According to video footage of the scene, a group of heavily armed assailants posed as officials with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency as they moved in on Moïse’s private residence on the outskirts of Port-au-Prince.
Click through for information and speculation. I’ve always maintained that some conspiracies are real. I must say this one boggles the mind.

Food for Thought: