Yesterday, I hope everyone had a pleasant and a peaceful day. I know I did
Ordinarily I don’t post petitions but this one is on a proposal which is new and shocking – “Doug Burgum, Trump’s hand-picked Interior Secretary, … wants to treat our public lands like a ‘balance sheet’ — turning America’s natural treasures into collateral for national debt.” This could be worse than selling them outright. If a sale were to be proposed, we would at least have an opportunity to protest. As collateral, they could just disappear. Of course Democratic Conservation will request a donation, but that is not mandatory.
Wednesday evening, Joyce Vance did a “catch-up” letter on legal news, much of which I had missed, so I’m linking today in case you missed it also.
Heather Cox Richardson wrote about the origins of Thanksgiving specifically as a national holiday (communal giving of thanks at the time of harvest date back as far as history can tell us, and probably much farther), which has its roots in the Civil War. You can read it, or you can scroll down and watch/listen to (most of) it.
Yesterday, Judge Cameron Currie dismissed both of the James cases – Comey and Letitia. Comey should be off the hook (although it was dismissed without prejudice) because the statue of limitations is up. There is, per Harry Litman, a possible argument that a Latin term in the opinion sets the calendar back a little, which could affect the statute of limitations. James’s was also dismissed without prejudice, so she could be indicted again (and likely will be, unless it turns out that the statute of limitations has run out for her also, which even Joyce Vance isn’t certain of – since it’s the Orange Oligarch.)
The F* News on the meeting between Zohran Mamdani and the Apricot Antichrist, which went surprisingly well. Even jaw-droppingly well. I’m so allergic to Trump**[*] I really can’t bear, not just his face and voice, but even his words, even when he appears to be making sense, so I really didn’t take much away from this, but it’s such a black swan event it’s hard to ignore.
I did not have this on my Bingo card. But now that Democratic Underground has reported it, I cannot say I am surprised. The only paperwork they actually pay attention to is the skin colors paint sample
This from Common Dreams is regarding Senator Mark Kelly, one of the six who made the video about not obeying illegal orders. Yes, they can do this. Any service member, officer or enlisted, who stays active long enough to receive retirement pay is subject to recall to active duty. That is why those retirement checks are funded in the DoD budget, and that’s a huge figure in it. Not all the DoD budget goes to $200 hammers and planes that don’t fly. I get why, if they are subject to recall, they must be paid from DoD funds, but very few people, including active duty service member and probably even some retirees are aware of that, and it makes the DoD budget look far worse than it is. Retiree pay is definitely fraud or waste, but if some creative Democrats could come up with a way around this, It could be an incredible public relations victory. Failing that, efforts to make the facts about retiree pay more widely known could also help. I was in the USMC for 10 years, most of which was spent directly working with military pay, and I did not find this out for at least 8 of those 10 years. Back to the court-martial suggestion – if this were going to be a civilian court, even now, I would, and I suspect Kelly would, say “have at it.” But I don’t have as much faith in a Court Martial. (Neither does Steve Schmidt, and he says so quite bluntly.)
Off Topic – sort of – The one-woman play “Ann” about Ann Richards is streaming on demand now and will be through next year. Of course it is political – but not current politics – which is why I say Off Topic. But it is a fun escape if you have a couple of hours to spare.
Yesterday, Wonkette informed me about the male-genitals-shaped balloons Trump** supporters had released Thursday outside the courthouse where he is being tried. Most of us outgrow our toddler obsession with genitals at an age much younger than these people have (God knows how) achieved. Also, there was a kerfuffle in the House involving Representatives Jasmine Crockett and Marjorie Three Names. Many people have had something to say about this. My take is that I’m going to the Atlanta Black Star to get some Black folks’ take before I even begin to formulate my lily-white take. And then, there’s this. (And no, you aren’t losig it, Jamie is still from Maryland -that was in error.)
This story from Joyce Vance is years old – but she (and the nation) have only just learned about it now. And that fact alone may be the biggest part of the story.
Sigh. I suppose we should have known this was coming – somewhere. And it will probably be repeated. It is well sourced, but I chose this link rather than ne of the sources, partly because I thought there was value in the comments.
Glenn Kirschner – Trump recruits & deploys the Proud Boys on 1/6, making him part of the PB’s seditious conspiracy
Meidas Touch – Harry Litman REVEALS identity of Secret Star Witness for Jan 6 Hearings
The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party – June 7, 2022
MSNBC’s Chris Hayes Dives Into Scapegoating of D.A. Boudin (Of course the recall is over – and, sadly, our side lost – but the opportunty to learn is always present. Incidentally, I could actually agree with Tom Cotton to this degree – there are WAY too many Republicans running around loose.)
CNN – Ex-gun industry insider speaks out about Republicans and NRA
Mini Horse Tries So Hard To Make His Very First Friend
Beau – Let’s talk about an analogy to help people understand the climate….
Yesterday, Friday, I was still dragging some. But I managed to put in a grocery order to be delivered today. I hope there’s not too much missing.
Cartoon –
Short Takes –
The Daily Beast – Oath Keeper Returned to Capitol Morning After Riot to ‘Probe Defense Line,’ Prosecutors Say
Quote – In a court filing late Tuesday calling for Vallejo to be detained ahead of trial, prosecutors say he continued to plot against the federal government even after the violence of Jan. 6 ended. The next morning, he allegedly messaged other members of the group in a Signal chat: “We are going to probe their defense line right now 6 am they should let us in. We’ll see.” He and other members of a “quick reaction force” he led were apparently also prepared to wage battle in the city for weeks. Click through for details. This is another of those recently charged with “seditious conspiracy.” The “quick reaction forces” or QRFs – and, yes, that’s plural – there were somewhere between “several” and “many” – we will probably hear more about as time psses.
Democratic Underground (LENNY0229) – Dems Won Four Special Elections Last Week
Quote – We won special election in Maine for Maine House (suburban district that could have gone red), Massachusetts for Massachusetts House (a FLIP from Red to Blue – No Dem had held this seat since the mid 1800’s), Virginia for Virginia House, and Florida for U.S. House. Again, one of these was a FLIP and one (the one in my home state of Maine) could very welll have gone red. There were no guarantees. In ALL cases, the Dems won by BIG margins. Click through. Good news is always welcome, and he goes on to provide some analysis ans suggestions.
Politico – Read the never-issued Trump order that would have seized voting machines
Quote – It’s not clear who wrote either document. But the draft executive order is dated Dec. 16, 2020, and is consistent with proposals that lawyer Sidney Powell made to the then-president. On Dec. 18, 2020, Powell, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, former Trump administration lawyer Emily Newman, and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne met with Trump in the Oval Office. In that meeting, Powell urged Trump to seize voting machines and to appointher as a special counsel to investigate the election, according to Axios. Click through to read the complete order, or just for more detail. This document (along with the draft of an unmade speech) is one of those from the National Archives being held until the Supreme Court ruled.
