Personal – Politics Plus

Open Thread June 12 2025

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

Jun 122025

Yesterday, It was quite a news day – I filled up two days, which is a good thing, because… I also had two packages arrive at two different times – fortunately, both were left on the porch so I got them in without having to endanger myself. Then I had online issues with one of my banks (I guess I should say “with my bank” since the other is a credit union.) The website appears no longer to have an easy way to put a message into a queue for them, so I ended up typing a letter, “printing” it into a pdf, and uploading that.

This from Wonkette pretty well sums up what we have all been expecting since last November. At that, it could be worse. If you remember my Stravinsky story – with the magistrate saying “In Germany today, such things happen all the time” and sending them away – at least we are protesting. And how. Right now I feel like I just want to live long enough to see Stephen Miller get to the FO stage of FAFO. But I’m sure when I cool down a little I’ll think of other names for that list.

Well, this is spooky. It was only two days ago that I made my comment about government in exile. I made it here, and also on Substack. And already yesterday it appears that someone with money read it. No, I don’t really believe that – it’s probably just a matter of great minds falling in the same ditch, as TC would have said – but the synchronicity is remarkable.

This from the F* News is not a huge story – but it does have implications which may or may not be hopeful. When the attitudes chronicled here start to show up in the voting, that will be a story – if it happens.

Open Thread June 11 2025

Posted by Joanne Dixon at 6:02 am Open Thread, Personal, Politics

Jun 112025

Yesterday, I had a phrase running through my head most of the day – that phrase is “government in exile.” Not exactly a government in exile as happened during the second World War, but just for some functions. For instance – RFK Jr has fired the entire CDC vaccine advisory committee. Of course they are individuals … but they are also a team. What if we could find a way to keep them together and fund them so they could continue their life-saving work. They might not even need to be outside the country, though they probably should be very secret. The same goes for government funded medical research and the National Weather Service – and other life saving groups being torn up and cast aside because the current regime is a death cult. Solid journalism outside the U.S. already exists, such as The Guardian – I don’t know how helpful it would be to fund historians to archive it, but it’s a thought. Basically, just functions which could enable us eventually to hit the ground running when the time comes to restore civilization. I’m not a millionaire – far from it – I depend on social Security – but there is a PAC called “Patriotic Millionaires.” I don’t know whether they might have some interest. It might turn out to be more effective in the long run than duplicating the obvious protests everyone else is doing. Also, my governor has been accused of collaboration. I hope it isn’t true.

This from the F*News on the callup of the National Guard and deployment of Marines from 29 Palms. Lots of sources are pointing out that the National Guard command has not been taken from a governor by a President since the 1960’s. Fewer are pointing out why it was done in the 1960s – basically for the exact opposite of why it is being done now. At that time it was the governor who was breaking the law and the President who was enforcing it and protecting Americans.

This is more of a rant from Dan Froomkin than it is news. But righteous rants are needed when the main news utlets are owned by billionaires and staffed by cowards.

Open Thread June 8 2025

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

Jun 082025

Yesterday, the radio opera was “The Queen of Spades” by Tchaikovsky, loosely based on a novella by Pushkin. There is also an operetta by Franz von Suppê based (even more loosely) on the same novella, which is unlikely ever to be performed again, but one sometimes still hears the overture. This used to confuse me because the opera is so dark I did not see how an operetta could possibly work comically. But a little research informed me that the novella, the opera, and the operetta are pretty much three different stories. THere is a little achadenfreude at the end of the opera, but it is the Countess, who is now dead, who has it, and soon the young lovers are also dead. I’ve only heard it once, during the pandemic, streamed with Placido Domingo and Dmitri Hvorostovsky as the romantic rivals and Elisabeth Söderström (who would be 98 now if whe were still alive) as the Countess. She was pretty old when that was first recorded (and the cxharacter is pretty old) – but physically and vocally still gorgeous. It wasn’t clear then , and it really shouldn’t be, whether the paranormal element in the story is really paranormal, or a kind of hallucination burn of the desperation of the lead tenor. It is not rearly as popular as Tchaikonsky’s Eugene Onegin, and, unlike Onegin, it has no excerpt which can be and is performed in concert, but is still in the repertory (unlike Tchaikovsky’s “Joan of Arc” – which does have an aria which gets sung in concert). I have to add that when the series announcer, Deborah Harder, asked the general manager, Peter Gelb, why he chose to close the season with Tchaikovsky, he said, because great Russian art is and will always be great Russian art, and to show that we weill not be held hostage by Putin committing daily war crimes. I knew that his wife is Ukrainian (I didn’t know ahe was lao a conductor -she conducted today) but I did not expect such political passion from him so publicly. Slava Ukraini!

This is not unqualified good news via Harry Litman, but there is good news in it. I’ll be surprised (and disappointed) id Chris Van Hollen doesn’t keep on this as much as is necessary. Even if there is a conviction, he will be in prison here, in a Federal prison, which is somewhat regulated, and his family will know whether he is alive or dead, and may even get to visit him. Big difference from CECOT.

I don’t know how good this sounds to other people, but it’s extremely good news to me. As a person who works with fiber as a way to relax and also be creative, it’s a break for my conscience. Even in yarns, it isn’t really possible to get 100% cotton any more. Not that I tend to put stuff into landfills if there’s any other way to go – but you also never know where something is going to end up. I hope I live long enough to get a chance to work with some of the recycled yarns this is going to make possible.

This is not brand new, but I missed it when it was.

Dog

Open Thread June 6 2025

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

Jun 062025

Yesterday, I hadn’t slept well the night before, so I wasn’t terribly ambitious. I did get an email from my AG that he has initiated lawsuits against the Mango Monster 21 times – and he (the monster) hasn’t been in office five full months yet. He (the AG) is running for Governor, and will have my vote in the primary and, God willing, in the general. Unfortunately my senior Senator has talked about running also. The AG is a better campaigner than the Senator and also, obviously, a better fighter of Republicans. But of course I’m worried about name recognition. I am doing what I can. Also, Axios says even Elon is calling for impeachment for the Cantaloupe Caligula.

It’s about time I shared an analysis of Operation Spider’s Web, and Heather Cox Richardson now has one, so here it is.

Recently I remarked that anyone who has ever been or worked with a Federal civil servant knows that they take their oaths seriously. Chris Bowers’s experience is a case in point.

Open Thread June 3 2025

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

Jun 032025

Yesterday, Trinette emailed about sending Zach over to whack my weeds. I chuckled, because this was the second time in just a few days I had made a correct prediction. The first one was on Saturday, when I told Virgil that by Sunday morning he would forget that was coming to see him. Then when I got home, I looked at the yard and thought I should be hearing from Trinette soon about the weeds. My name is still not Jeane Dixon, and I am still not psychic. Both predictions were based on lots of prior knowledge. But it’s still amusing. Also, when I saw this alert from Axios, the word which caught my eye was “federal” – what could have motivated this regime to prosecute a hate crime? After looking at the details I realized the injured must all be white, and the suspect is Muslim. Sigh. Not that prosecution isn’t appropriate – it is – but in this regime it only goes one way. And that’s not appropriate. Finally, The Nature Conservancy is offering a guide to “day trips” around the country, I gather hoping to get people to look at the natural beauty we have and maybe even care about protecting it. Of course they want you on their mailing list – but if you aren’t already and don’t like that you can always unsubscribe.

“The inmates are running the asylum” is bad enough, but when it comes to the point where the inmates in the asylum are running the country, well, that’s a few levels up. (Americans love sports analogies, and I guess computer gaming is a sport now.) Heather Cox Richardson discusses how Federal budget cuts are going to cost more money than they save, as anyone with a brain could have foreseen. (But Richardson does it better than just “anyone with a brain.”)

Harry Litman discusses independent agencies, the unitary executive theory, the shadow docket of the Supremes, and a dangerous decision from the latter last week. As someone who was born a few month’s after FDR’s death, I have never lived in a United States which did not have independent agencies (and I am the oldest one here, except for Mitch D, and he’s not that much older.) We’ve all studied governments without independent agencies, in history, and in other countries. But we haven’t lived under those conditions. Now we are about to.

I think it’s only fair to Steve Schmidt to share his expose of someone who once worked for him and now works for the Nectarine Napoleon through RFK Jr. Steve has good reason to be furious (including with himself for not seeing fellow Republicans for who they are sooner. Although I get it. It’s tough to see someone gradually falling into insanity – until it’s too late.)

Open Thread June 2 2025

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

Jun 022025

Yesterday, I saw Virgil, and as usual, we played cribbage. On the way there, it was bright and sunny, but on the way back I ran into some rain and had to remove my sunglasses. But, obviously, I got home safely anyway, though of course tired out. I’m going to take my night meds, play at a game for a while, listen to the Broadway show that’s on Sundays from 8 to 9 pm, and then call it a night..

From the F* News. I was briefly tempted to include this for Sunday, but only the lead article is actually good – and – it’s not actually news to anyone who has ever been or worked with a Federal civil servant. I don’t claim they are perfect, but I do claim adherence to their oaths by administrators.

If you ever thought that those of us who described the current Republican Party as a death cult were exaggerating, this article from Wonkette may change your mind. honestly, I don’t know what else you’d call it.

Open Thread June 1 2025

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

Jun 012025

Yesterday, the radio opera was Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville,” One of two operas based on Beaumarchais’s trilogy which caused somuch scandal inits day by dissing the aristocracy (They barely made it past the censors.) The other is Mozart’s “Figaro’s Wedding.” There have been numerous attempts at operas intended to get the third play, “La Mère coupable,” into the repertory. So far John Corigliano has come the closest, with his “The Ghosts of Versailles.” It has received a fair number of performances (including one in Los Angeles with Patti Lupone in the role which Marilyn Horne created), but it’s not really in the repertory yet. But I digress. The story in “Barber” is how Count Almaviva courted Rosina with help from Figaro and even more from Rosina, in spite of opposition from her guardian, who wanted to marry her himself – the last thing she wanted. The cast appears to be from all over, and unknown to me, but I never saw or heard a performance I didn’t enjoy. I will say there’s only one tenor who has ever given me chills at the end when the count, his character, threatens the guardian and his sidekick with the Italian 18th-19th century version of “Nice life you’ve got. Be too bad if anything happened to it,” and that was a fellow named Rockwell Blake who must have just leaned on his white privilege. It’s kind of a plot point, so it’s unfortunate more tenors can’t do it. Anyway, I’m off to see Virgil and will check in as usual upon return.

This is good news for a number of reasons, and probably different reasons for different people. For me, there’s the factor that Yosemite means so much to me.

Not exactly news, but definitely good. Even though it’s blue, I can’t always be proud of my state. I can about this.

Kermit the Frog‘s graduation address at the University of Maryland (ending with The Rainbow Connection” and the presentation to Kermit of a Citation from the Governor.) I did not set out to do an double-frog post, honest. (Off topic, but the best-known orange frog will kill you.)

We’ll never know for sure why Harvard picked this moment to back fown on this – but from where I sit, it looks as though being attacked by a corrupt administration has provided a sense of proportion previously masked by privilege.

Randy Trump Derangement (That’s Entertainment) I clipped the ad, but if you want the whole enchilada you can go to YouTube.

Open Thread May 28 2025

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

May 282025

Yesterday, Andy Borowitz questioned Jake Tapper’s cognitive ability, since he wrote a book about the cognitive decline of a President-but it was the wrong President. Also, I streamed the National Memorial Day Concert which I had not caught on Sunday, It was still up (and may still be – if it is, anyone can watch it. My “Passport” is up to date, but I didn’t need to sign in to see it. Also, Joe Mantegna does not have a life-threatening medical condition – is not even bedridden – he just has an inner ear issue such that his doctor won’t let him fly and he would have had to fly to get to DC timely.)

From The Intercept. Kind of makes me even more glad that I am old. And that I am in a financial position such that, although I meet my financial obligations, I don’t have a lot left over so I’m less attractive as a target.

From the 19th. Not news. Instead, a deep dive into police killings, the men they killed, and their mothers whose lives were changed forever. Lest we forget.

I honestly don’t know what to think about this. He is such a liar – but even if this is a real breakthrough, he is so cognitively impaired that it’s not terribly likely that he’s able to hang on to it. And of course he still is who he is. Wonkette discusses.

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