Justice – Page 84 – Politics Plus

Open Thread June 24, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:16 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 242022

Yesterday, I watched the fifth hearing from the Jan6 Committee. Again, we saw powerful Republicans give testimony about a plot they would not go along with. I know a lot of Democrats are – for lack of a better word – discounting their character because they are still Republicans who voted for him wna would do so again. And that is certainly true – and I would not vote for them certainly. But, especially in the current state of the Republican Party, to me their adherence to their oaths serves to enhance rather than to detract from the courage of their behavior. Sure, there ideas are nuts and I would not want them in the legislature – but in an office such as Acting Attorney General, would you rather have a Jeff Rosen (Republican) or a Rod Blagojevich (Democrat)? Not wanting them to legislate their crazy ideas doesn’t mean I can’t recognize their principles. No one is 100% good or 100% evil (well, except maybe a very few – Trump** and Putin come to mind) and we need to at least look at people as being fully human if we have to deal with them at all – let alone communicate with them.

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Short Takes –

PolitiZoom (“Murfster35”) – The J6 Committee. The Gift That Keeps On Giving. Even AFTER The Midterms?
Quote – But here’s the McGuffin. The DOJ has a rock hard rule that used to be observed up until the reign of that moron James Comey that the DOJ doesn’t announce either investigations or indictments in a general election season, in order to avoid appearing to put their fingers on the scale. Under Merrick Garland, one can only hope and pray that that rule still holds true. Which could end up being disastrous news for the state GOP caucuses. Because while Trump and his criminal cabal in DC were willing to blab to almost everybody about their schemes, when it came to the states themselves, they were more selective, if not secretive.
Click through for his reasoning. It’s probably true that in most cases, in and out of government, that silence indicates inaction. But that isn’t universal. Murfster could well be correct.

The 19th – Senators are pushing TSA to clarify its rules around breast milk and formula at airport security
Quote – The issue is one of health and safety: Nursing parents typically need to express milk every two to four hours. Failing to pump could have health consequences for the parent, leading to extreme discomfort, pain, plugged milk ducts or a bacterial infection called mastitis. The milk also needs to be refrigerated within four hours to avoid adverse health effects for the baby which could include vomiting, fever and diarrhea. All of that is even more critical now as a nationwide formula shortage continues. It will likely be months before formula stock returns to normal levels in the United States after a major plant closure in February set off massive shortages that have cut into as much as 90 percent of stock in some states.
Click through for story. I have a solution to propose – put the TSA under the Department of Transportation. We have a Transportation Secretary who knows a thing or two about feeding infants. In fact, “Department of Homeland Security” sounds fascost and does unnecessary things, why don’t we get rid of it and relocate its useful functions.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/23/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:13 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jun 232022

Glenn Kirschner – Who is on John Eastman’s pardon list & why did Sen. Grassley say he, not Pence, would preside on 1/6

Meidas Touch – Rep. Katie Porter EXPOSES Big PHARMA scam in epic SMACK DOWN you can’t miss

The Lincoln Project – 40 Feet

MSNBC – Lawrence: Trump Can’t Understand Why GOP Officials Wouldn’t Steal 2020 For Him

Rebel HQ – Veteran ROASTS Right-Wing Gun Nuts

Beau – Let’s talk about New Mexico, foreshadowing, and the committee….

Open Thread June 23, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 7:01 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 232022

Yesterday, I did some recovering and braced myself to be ready for tomorrow’s hearing. I did a little knitting – making some headbands with scraps of corron and cotton blend yarn that will just fir around my head at forehead level, which I can wet down and refrigerate for the days when th ceiling fan in the den isn’t enough. I had tried before, but they were always too big and wouldn’t stay put. but after making three now with smaller stitch counts, I have it right The old, too big ones, though, I’ll wet down and refrigerate to go around my neck, sort of like cowls, if I need that extra. Just for getting cool, they won’t be any use as ice packs for arthritis – they’re not thick enough. It’s was a bit cooler, so it seemed like a good time to make them – no pressure.

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Short Takes –

Gizmodo – Hundreds of Little Blue Penguins Are Washing Up Dead in New Zealand Amid an Ocean Heatwave
Quote – New Zealand Department of Conservation post-mortem examinations revealed many of the birds were particularly vulnerable juveniles. The young penguins died of starvation and hypothermia, with no fat to help them hold onto heat in the water. Counterintuitively, seabirds dying of cold corresponds with hotter ocean temperatures caused by both climate change and the weather phenomenon La Niña, a Depart of Conservation representative, Graeme Taylor, told RNZ.
Click through for details. The quote uses the word “counterintuitive” (which is actually true of hypothermia in other ways too), and it strikes me that, in so many ways the things we need to do in the face of climate change are counterintuitive as well. Which is why it is so important to get solid science – exactly what people want to ignore. Sigh.

The New Yorker – Putting the Backlash Against Progressive Prosecutors in Perspective
Quote – In San Francisco, Chesa Boudin—a reform-minded district attorney—was recalled by voters by a significant margin last week. Boudin had instituted a number of progressive reforms, from liberalizing bail policies to reducing jail populations through diversion programs. But those changes were buried by the perception that the city had descended into a state of chaos. His recall has been cast as a referendum on crime and on the public’s attitudes toward progressive criminal-justice policies. What were the voters in San Francisco blaming on Boudin? The New Yorker staff writer Benjamin Wallace-Wells recently wrote about Boudin’s recall. He speaks with the New Yorker senior editor Tyler Foggatt.
Click through – it’s a podcast, but you can download a transcript. It did not offer me any file extension, but when I went to open it, my PC gave me a list of programs to choose from; I selected “Notepad” and it opened right up. “Wordpad” also works, but Adobe Reader doesn’t. It’s valuable information for anyone who cares about restorative justice, reforming our legal and prison systems, and the like.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/22/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 12:23 pm Open Thread, Politics

Jun 222022

Glenn Kirschner – Judge Luttig, darling of the right, says Trump “clear+present danger.” Trump proves it in TN speech

Meidas Touch – Real Seniors REACT in HORROR to GOP Plan to eliminate Social Security and Medicare

The Lincoln Project – Juneteenth

Don Winslow Films – #HowToConvictTrump

MSNBC – Why The Jan. 6 Committee Hearings Are ‘Exceeding Expectations’

Beau – Let’s talk about sharks, screens, shifting thought, and Hollywood…. (Beau has been on fire recently. I cut one I had peviously selected, but am still abit behind.)

Video Thread 6/21/22

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

Jun 212022

Glenn Kirschner – Crimes of Trump lawyer Eastman exposed; will Ginni Thomas testify; DOJ demands all J6 transcripts

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Texas Water Shortages and Power Outages

The Lincoln Project – This Was Planned

CNN – ‘Late Show with Stephen Colbert’ team arrested at Capitol

Guy Who Didn’t Like Cats Finds One Stuck In His Tire

Beau – Let’s talk about culture shifting and representation…. (So Simple – but ir really touched me.)

Video Thread 6/20/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:59 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 202022

Glenn Kirschner – Trump pressuring Mike Pence to overturn election results is additional evidence of Trump’s treason

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Lauren Boebert saying Jesus needed an AR-15

The Lincoln Project – Scam

MSNBC – Fascist, Paramilitary Groups Seen Aligning With Republican Political Targeting

Woman brings home a rescue dog. And then discovers she barks like a duck.

Beau – Let’s talk about pardons, votes, and Trump….

Open Thread June 20, 2022

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 202022

Yesterday, a bit of rain cooled us off a little (and today a cloudy dayis supposed to do even more. We shall see.) There was not a lot of email, so I took the Smithsonian’s Father’s Day “Pop Quiz” (is that a “dad joke” or what?) getting only two out of six. As a former costumer, I probably should have gotten the one on neckties, but I outsmarted myself with my general rule “It always happened earlier than you think it did.” This time it didn’t. This link may work if anyone want’s to try their luck. And I looked through July cartoons and determined I can use enugh from 2014 tha I only need to make 8. Generally, it was a calm day after a frenetic week (and I’m not the only one saying that. Two hearings was overwhelming for many of us who follow politics. But I really can’t wish for fewer in the weeks ahead. Let’s get this done.)

Also, Freya finished and posted the “Sound Off” she’s been eorking on yesterday, here at this link. Don’t miss it. (You can also look down at the bottom of the page, under the comments to the left, and click on the title there, if that’s easier.)

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Short Takes –

HuffPost – Sonia Sotomayor Reassures Liberals As Conservative Decisions Loom
Quote – “When we, as institutions, have made mistakes,” Sotomayor said. “Other parts of the branches [of government]” and “the people have worked to make change. “Dred Scott lost his 11-year battle for freedom,” she said. And yet, with the decision in Brown, “He won the war. That’s why I think we have to have continuing faith in our court system, in our system of government,” she added, noting that that the system allows for constitutional amendments and legislation to address outcomes like Dred Scott.
Click through for more from her speech, and also for a little of what wasn’t in her speech. I absolutely agree we cannot give up.

Robert Reich – The Fed’s big mistake
Quote – I understand the Fed’s urgency, but it has entered dangerous territory. If the Fed continues down this path – as it has signaled it will – the economy will be plunged into a recession. Every time over the last half century the Fed has raised interest rates this much and this quickly, it has caused a recession. Besides, interest rate increases will not remedy the major causes of the current inflation – huge pent-up worldwide demand from two years of pandemic, shortages of goods and services responding to that demand, Putin’s war in Ukraine, and big profitable corporations with enough pricing power to use inflation as a cover for pushing up prices even further.
Click through for full argument. It’s deja vu all over again for those our age.

Food For Thought

Video Thread 6/19/22

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 11:41 am Open Thread, Politics

Jun 192022

Glenn Kirschner – GA Rep Loudermilk gave tour on 1/5 to man who threatened Pelosi, Nadler, Schumer at Capitol on 1/6

Meidas Touch – GOP Plot EXPOSED to END social security and medicare (If they are saying the quiet part out loud, I hope everyone is listening.)

The Lincoln Project – Detached from Reality

MSNBC – DOJ Reveals Investigations, Prosecutions In Request For January 6th Interview Transcripts (What a star-studded panel!)

Liberal Redneck – Mike Pence and “Team Normal” on January 6

Beau – Let’s talk about Patterson’s comment on race….

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