Middle East – Politics Plus

Open Thread July 6 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:06 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jul 062026

Yesterday, Trinette was out of town for the holiday weekend, so I didn’t have to be up to welcome her, and slept longer than usual. According to Malcolm’s warcast, Marco Rubio announced that any nation which attended the funeral of Ali Khamenei (the father of the current imam, Muchtaba Khamenei) at any level which receives any kind of aid from the US will have that aid cut off. The Canteloupe Caligula himself said that he coul not understand – was completely baffled – that anyone would shed tears for Khamenei. What a display of sea-bottom-level pettiness combined with rock hard obtuseness of actual human beings. Also on that cast was a picture alleged to show the chief suspect to have put the algae in the Reflecting Pool. I entered it as a replacement for the normal featured image. The cast was cut short on account of audio issues, but they started a second one, primarily to answer questions, but added a bit of additional news, including the fact that the US is in negoiations to, among other things, move US Middle East Central Command from Qatar to Israel. Hoo boy, is that ever going to divide us more than we are already!

If you have been missing John Fugelsang as much as I have, here’s your chance. If not, and if any discussion of any religion at all triggers you, please skip it.

Robert Reich on Democratic primaries. Someone else on Substack who is not an idiot is seriously worried about the result of the Democratic primary in Colorado One. I am not. If it were any other blue district in Colorado, I probably would be. But Colorado 1 contains the University of Colorao Boulder (sometimes jokingly called the People’s Republic of Boulder.) I can’t visualize Democrats there being spooked by the term “Democratic Socialist.”

You can pretty much count on Steve Schmidt to be angry – angry at the Apricot Antichrist, angry at his followers, his de facto slaves, with their poisoned souls – angry at anyone who knows how terrible they are but is not doing enough to oppose them, angry at anyone who is normalizing what’s happening, whether actively or passively. Sometimes angry enough to post a gut punch. This is one. You have been warned.

Open Thread July 3 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:52 am Blog News, Personal, Religion

Jul 032026

Yesterday, as every day since February 28, I watched Malcolm Nance’s “warcast” (or in this case “moolahcast.”) I always keep CC on. At one point Malcolm said, as clear as day, “Strait of Hormuz.” The CC said “straight of hormones.” Does AI have a sense of humor? I would find that absolutely terrifying. The rest of the cast was anything but funny. International oil is curently priced artifically low. We – the US – have been selling from our strategic reserve. We – and the world – can expect to hit tank bottom between July and October . There’s talk of us going into Lebanon to work with the Lebanese and Israeli armies to disarm Hezbollah. This could be Afghanistan all over again, with possibly even worse casualties.

Tomorrow, to celebrate, Adam Klasfeld is going to do a Substack video in which he simply reads aloud the concurring opinion of Justice Jackson in the Birthright Citizenship case. It doesn’t need to be watched live – I almost never watch them live – within an hour after a Substack video ends, a recording of it comes up. I’ll put a link in a comment when it’s available which you are welcome to ignore. Adam says that it is very moving – and that even Justice Roberts’s opinion is moving, but not quite moving enough to read aloud. He intends to start at 1 pm Eastern, so I would think it would be available as a recording by about 3 pm Eastern.

This is Talking Points Memo‘s morning memo from Monday – yes, it’s late – covers a variety of topics and enough of the sections are still accurate that I went ahead with it. Particularly the first one, about the White House Religious Liberty Commission Report.

This story was referenced by Dekleptocracy with no source link, and it took me a while to find a respectable one. I don’t know whether Price has responded – but I would not believe a word from him. He is a Trump**(*) ally.

This is a Substack video from JoJo from Jerz, with blistering mockery of the Apricot Antichrist and his version of a state fair – and his habit of exaggerating crowd size as if it were the size of genitals (which to him it probably is.) You can bring up the full transcript as usual, or read an alternate version (each has something the other doesn’t, but the structure is similar, and there is overlap.) I can’t help loving the way she paints with words to make so vivid what we are all thinking.

Open Thread May 30 2026

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:10 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

May 302026

Yesterday, Malcolm used the title Milli-Vanilli-cast for his presentation. There are multiple reasons for this, one of which is that he credits Milli Vanilli for inventing alternate reality. I won’t go into other reasons, but I will recommend you avoid the National Mall between June 25th and July 10th this year. But all the information is in the first 17 minutes of the cast, so if you are curious, here’s the link. Also yesterday, a DC circuit judge ruled that the Saffron Sauron’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center immediately. And another judge ruled that no money can be paid out from his slush fund until, and if, it is determined that it is even legal.

I have to share this story, although it took a while to ger it posted – it’s just too good. Wednesday night Bruce Springsteen gave a live concert attended by, among other, Joyce Vance and Mary Trump, who went together. There was a large sign on the building with a short anti-Trump** message – they ran up to it (and probably took selfies) and said – “WE are the Trump/Vance team you need!” And, you know, they are absolutely right.

Robert Reich on wealth tax. He considers it so important he is willing to vote for Tom Steyer – a billionaire – over Katie Porter because Steyer claims to support a wealth tax. I also want wealth taxes – in every state – but I don’t believe a word a billionaire says at any time, least of all when he is running for office.

From Civil Discourse. My first question was – why Chicago? Wasn’t the defamation case tried in New York? Doesn’t she live in New York? Reading farther, Joyce has the same question. (being a lawyer, however, she asked legal procedural questions first.)

I find it very difficult to accept that a sane person, or a sane party, would choose not to be part of the solution. I’s clear that the present Republican party is not part of the solution, and also that it is insane. It’s not as clear to me that the Democratic party is part of the problem – we are kind of dysfunctional just now, but that seems always to happen to a minority party. We do need to form clear goals and get a lot better at ~~communicating~~ listening. If we can’t listen, we won’t be able to communicate at all.

Open Thread March 18 2026

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

Mar 182026

Yesterday was not the Equinox – but for all intents and purposes (don’t you just hate it when someone says “for all intensive purposes”?) it was here – we had 12 hours each of day and night. Also, I note that Ken Burns has endorsed Sherrod Brown. Not a surprise in one way, because Burns is wicked smart. And he kind of knows everyone – for instance, he knows the Vinman twins from when they were about ten years old. And he hasn’t been silent about national politics. But (and this is probably my ignorance) I’m not aware of his having made a statement about state politics before – and it’s not a state he has lived in. Kudos to him for this. I hope his endorsement hits hard. Also the Nance/Kaarbo Warcast pointed out that, with Israel striking Lebanon, a million people are leaving southern Lebanon – and that this could easily reinvigorate Hezbollah. I would like to point out that Kegsbreath’s no rules, no quarter approach is not only in violation of national and international law, but it is also a good way to lose both the war and the peace. It makes people hate a country. And if, after making the mistake, a country does not make transformational and very public reform happen, it will never be safe again. And the incompetence – it would just be absurd – except that people are dying. All kinds of people. On the other side, the Iranians (technically the Shia Muslims, but Iran is Shia majority) have their own concept of a Messiah – the “twelfth Imam” – who will one day return (and why not now?) And we can expect a shortage of generic drugs to happen fairly soon. And so much more. This one might be worth watching, long as it is.

And other things happened. For one thing, it dawned upon me (probably way too late) that the forms of identification mentioned in the abominable “SAVE Act” do not include a Certificate of Naturalization – nor a Consular Notification of Birth Abroad, nor a Certificate of Citizenship (for people who were entitled to a Consular Notification but their parents did not get one for them before they turned 18.) I sent an email to Senator Hickenlooper’s office, but it was pretty late, and, since they were supposed to be considering it yesterday afternoon, possibly too late. I wish that I, or anyone, had thought of it earlier. I am a birthright citizen, which means I did not have to do anything but breathe to have citizenship. I have the utmost respect for those who had to work for it.

Talking Points Memo from the weekend, yes. But you’ll want to see it – exactly because the Saffron Sauron won’t want you to.

Steve Schmidt from Monday – relining this. I’ve been reliving this since the girls’ school in Iran was bombed. I don’t know which is worse – the coverup then, or the pride and bragging now.

From Common Dreams. File under “No shit, Sherlock.” That’s probably unfair to a lot of civilians who don’t know what “No quarter” or even “Take no prisoners” actually mean. Both mean the same: Kill everyone, even civilians and anyone who wants to surrender. And yes, when the “Secretary of War” says it out loud and publicly, it’s a war crime. Brcause, unlawful order or not, there are some who will follow it.

Open Thread August 13 2025

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

Aug 132025

Yesterday, I overslept the way I usually do on Mondays. Most Mondays are not as stressful as this Monday was, though. Also yesterday, an email from Just Foreign Policy (which links only to a donation request dressed as a petition) that “Israel just killed 5 journalists in a single strike…. Their names join a devastating list: nearly 270 journalists have now been killed over the course of this war – the deadliest conflict for reporters ever recorded.” I hope no one tells the Mango Monster, or he’ll try to break the record. And one other thing – if you have been worried about me in connection with Colorado’s wildfires and smoke particles, all of them are on the opposite side of the peaks of the Rockies from me. Yes, all of Colorado is at a pretty good altitude, and the prevailing winds go towards me from the fires, but there’s still roughly a 7000 foot (2134 m) barrier between them and me. I have not noticed anything, and I think they are going over my head.

https://thefuckingnews.substack.com/p/senate-hopeful-calls-national-prayer
And Jordan Good, as reported by The F* News, is 100% correct. He is running to unseat Susan Collins, and we (and by we I mean all the sane people in the US) desperately need him and more like him. So I hope his honesty does not hurt him at the ballot box.

joycevance.substack.com/p/when-the-president-becomes-the-police
Joyce Vance runs through the cold, hard realities of he law regarding the Golden Godzilla’s latest power grab in DC. It’s a pity we didn’t listen to voices recommending statehood for DC and Puerto Rico before he .took office. If we ever get even the slimmest trifecta again, that is something that needs doing.

https://robertreich.substack.com/p/the-trial-run?
Robert Reich, on the other hand, runs through what to look for and how to interpret how bad it is and why, depending on the responses to the attempted takeover. The two together appear pretty comprehensive to me.

Open Thread June 23 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 5:54 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 232025

Yesterday, it became obvious that I would need to address the illegally declared war today. Yes, I’m a veteran, but i also know my limitations, and one is that that I’m not qualified to discuss the strategic aspects of this other than to opine that it’s damned dumb along with being unconstitutional. So I’ll just provide some links instead from some better qualified people and let you choose which if any to read.

Jonathan Larson of The F* News. Title: Trump Bombs Iran, Constitution, International Law, and Last Surviving MAGA Principle

Norm Eisen of The Contrarian. Title: Trump’s National Insecurity and What We Can Do About It

Steve Schmidt of The Warning. Title: America is at war in the Middle East. Again.

Robert Reich at his Substack. Title: The Dogs of War (the cartoon is not his. It’s maybe a century old.)

Open Thread April 5 2025

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

Apr 052025

Yesterday, Meidas Touch Substack posted a (just over 20 minute) video of a conversation between Ben Meiselas and Gavin Newsom. If you have raised your eyebrows over a few remarks he’s made or things he’s done lately, this might be a good place to come for clarification (though you may still not agree). I didn’t find a transcript, but there is a text summary and a large load of comments.

Colorado Public Radio (although just about everyone has the story) provides evidence that bipartisanship may be on its last legs and gasping for breath, it’s not dead yet. And if it’s saved, it may well be women who save it.

This from Democratic Underground (originally from the Atlantic) has been around for a couple of months. It doesn’t appear to me to have aged at all, so I’m putting it out now.

This from DU, on the other hand, is new. It puts us, and particularly our government, to shame.

Open Thread March 7 2025

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

Mar 072025

Yesterday, as if I needed another problem, Yahoo Mail decided to change its format to onw which is completely unacceptable. So, if you have me in your contacts, please change my email address to jvdix@tutamail.com. I’ll have to have the yahoo account open for a while because for at least some things I subscribe to the only way the change the address is subscribe under the new address and unsubscribe under the old one – and there doesn’t seem to be any simple way to transfer contacts. Because I work ahead you can expect new posts for a few days at least – and if I need to take some days off, I recommend checking at one of the following – Talking Points Memo, The Contrarian, or ProPublica. The first two are good at looking at and picking up a wide spectrum of news. The last is strong on doing its own investigations and digging up the dirt. Y’all mostly also have your own sources and may not need to come here, and that’s fine. I’m subbing a Randy Rainbow for Belle today to give myself an extra day’s time – I have started it just after the advertising – but his sponsor, Ground News appears to be another good general source, so there’s that.

Steve Schmidt has a daughter who is a career skiier. After JD Vance went skiing, she sent this rant to her dad, who published it Wednesday. (When I saw the title, I thought of “jerry” as being the World War II term for Nazis among English speaking allied countries. But it is a skiing term and apparently unrelated to the WWII usage.) I find a righteous rant cathartic – if you don’t, feel free to skip this one.

I didn’t watch the State of the Union address Tuesday. I have enough trouble watching speeches by people who are competent. I also figured if I was encouraging my Dem Senators to boycott it (which they didn’t), I was more than justified in doing so myself. I did, after the fact, hear about Al Green, though not in as much detail as here in The F* News, including the details of the consequences and/or lack thereof for comparable acts historically. I think it’s important to give him credit for the courage which so many of our elected representatives in both Houses seem to lack. Of course they have voted to censure him. Barf.

And speaking of attention – certainly any honest outlet (which Axios more or less is) which came upon this information is doing the right thing to release it immediately. But I can’t help but wonder how much of it will disappear in the fallout from the SotU and other distractions.

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