Yesterday, Steve Schmidt’s Save America PAC announced three new one-minute ads to be run on Fox News. Of course they are requesting donations, but there no obligation to donate just to watch them. One is about “Trump’s Tariffs”, the second about Canada, and the third about immigration. All three are narrated by Ronald Reagan (probably how they got Fox to accept them, IMO). I needed to unmute the sound or enable CC or both. Also, Colorado Public Radio wrote “The Department of Energy said it was saving taxpayers $7.56 billion. The actual amount is much less,” Of course that’s correct, especially under this regime. But let’s suppose the government’s statement was accurate. That would come out to $22.oo per person. Not exactly life changing. I’d call that disingenuous.
I don’t want to be – I don’t want anyone to be – blinded by rose-colored glasses. But Robert Reich is looking at the same numbers and historical events that I am, and he says it a lot better then I could.
Wonkette‘s subhead: “There are contingency plans and the GOP is opting not to use them.” Y’all have probably heard the truth about SNAP so often that you know most of this. What I didn’t know was that Congress-approved contingency plans are not only existent, but are required by law to be used. Not, of course, that the law means anything to this regime other than a nuisance.
From The Root. In other news, water is wet. I wish I didn’t have to feel that way, but sadly, I still do. I also kind of wish I could live long enough to see it change – except that I really don’t want to live to be 500 or maybe more..
Yesterday, my exterminator came by. There’s slow progress – but it is progress.
I don’t suppose anyone here doesn’t know this is happening. (‘m glad Howard from Aurora was there – a reminder people can live in war zones and still be decent people.
Action Network is declaring the week of August 21-27 ” People vs Billionaires Week of Action”, and has plans, and is making more plans. And also looking for more ideas. At least I can provide more notice time for this one.
Talking Feds Harry Litman is well aware about how dangerous and serious all the crap from this administration is. But this seems to me more of a sounding the alarm than his usual style. You won’t be able to see the whole thing, but there’s plenty in what we can see
Yesterday, Wonkette decided to quote La Marseillaise in its “TABS” email (the first of the day with links to other sources and just a little snark in the description) and threw in the clip from “Casablanca.” That scene is always a gut-punch for me, yet somehow in a good way, sort of like grand opera. (The young actress whose tears in the scene are so memorable was in real life a refugee. Those tears were real, and may not even have been scripted.) Also yesterday, this came out from Colorado Public Radio. Not that it’s news that we have crazy people in Colorado (particularly in the same Congressional District that Tina Peters is in.) Personally I would say he should never have been granted bail. And finally, July 17 – the 5th anniversary of John Lewis’s death, is July 17 (Thursday). National protests will be held. Here’s a link to find and RSVP to one.
This is good advice from Robert Reich – although I don’t think I’m quite capable of following it to the letter. I don’t feel I’m on the front line, but in more of a supporting role (which is nothing new. Most of the time I was in the Marine Corps the only women allowed in combat zones were nurses, and the Corps has no nurses, or for that matter, doctors. Medical personnel serving Marines are in the Navy.) The first Woman Marine assigned to a combat zone had been my platoon leader in basic training, and she had an administrative specialty, which is a command specialty, but not a combat specialty. Still a support role.) Support is important, but is less likely to make those filling it feel gung ho. But it is something i can do.
Joyce Vance writes primarily about measles and measles vaccinations here. But measles is only one part of the picture of disease, and disease itself is only one part of the picture of public health. There are also things like guns, floods, fires, toxic chemical exposure both knowingly and unknowingly (in which I would include recreational drug use), transportation crashes, other hazardous products, and more. I can’t imagine authoritarians caring a rodent’s posterior about any of them.
Yesterday, Trinette came by. Unless she’s out of town, she comes by on the Sunsays when I don’t visit Virgil and helps me with anything I need that is too strenuous for me. And we chat. It’s both stimulating and relaxing for me and she also enjoys it. She inspired me to put a sign up on the storm door saying “Coution: Retired person inside. Knows everything and has plenty of time to talk about it.” Yeah, someyimes it’s like that. But the keeps coming and keeps staying to hear stuff, so it can’t be all that painful.
This is a simple joke but also an allegory for something far more complex. And I recommend reading the comments too – they have some potential refinements, most of which would make an even more accurate allegory. Sigh.
The May Day Movement, which has organized prior nationwide protests, has two more events being set up. The first is for July 17 – I have mentioned it, but I don’t think I knew till now it’s being called a “Good Trouble Event” and will focus on John Lewis’s memory. The second is for September 1; it’s still in the planning stages but they are already looking for signups for it also. Yes, the two sites linked have different names, but working together is so much a part of this resistance movement, I believe all are connected.
Steve Schmidt notes that there are still decent people here, and, maybe even more necessary, people elsewhere who are aware of us.
Yesterday, I see I forgot to post at the regular time again. I hope I didn’t scare anyone, or at least not too much. I also got an email with a petition from the PAC “Patriotic Millionaires.” The petition is certainly an interesting idea, and I would suggest a good one. But you can make up your own mind on that. Also yesterday, Axios announced that there is a new PAC called “Ban the Trade” dedicated to passing legislation barring Congresscritters from trading on the stock market. And it appears they are going to hoist the traders with their own petard (bomb). Finally, Ann Telnaes has won the Pulitzer for cartooning. Take that, Jeff Bezos!
I no longer get the Daily Beast directly, but The Lever sent me this today, and I feel compelled to share it. Imagine holding a grudge since 1988. For that matter, imagine holding a grudge against a work of art, not just against the artist, but against all its viewers, including those who weren’t even born yet.
June 14 is, among other things, Flag Day. It’s also being called as No Kings Day and mass demonstrations are being organized. Here’s the link to find an event near you.
Yesterday, I continued some computer chores of moving infornation from one to the other. I also took in a grocery delivery, and though I haven’t checked it all yet against the order, I don’t think anything was missing. I aldo noticed – yes, I’m late to the party – that Elon Musk had posted something quite a while ago calling Kamala Harris “the ultimate diversity hire.” You may remember that my definition of “diversity hire” is “I can’t stand another ignorant white boy, I need someone who comes with actual qualifications.” Now that definition she might fit.
Our states are by no means all the same. I don’t suppose Ruben Gallego’s campaign strategy, as described by Huff Post, would work in every state. In fact, I believe that in many states our candidates should sound more progressive rather than moving center. But it did work for him (which means it also worked for all of us). and would work in many states.
Joyce Vance will sound overly optimistic to many of us, but she has some good points. And no one ever said or suggested that getting the Republic back could be done without a powerful resistance.
Yesterday, for a change, I caught up on my email. That doesn’t mean I didn’t find anything in my inbox this morning, of course. I hope the featured image doesn’t squish today. I tripped over the quote, from a survivor of the Holocaust, but finding the right background and getting the quote into the right place took time. Just in case: “I also bear witness to the unexpected extent to which man is capable of defying and braving the worst conditions conceivable
“I wasn’t going to post anything about Matt Gaetz following his dropout, but Amanda Marcotte used him as our poster boy to help us decide exactly what to oppose and exactly how to oppose it. Of course at this point I don’t suppose anyone ia 100% correct on that (though there probably are some who are 100% wrong), but Amanda Marcotte writes well and makes a good case. There isn’t a pay wall, but there is an ad blocker wall. You can keep the trackers blocked.
You may have already heard this from The F* News, but maybe not said so well, and maybe not in quite as much detail. This would not be the only thing where what’s floating around is not 100% accurate. In fact, I used one yesterday.
I wanted to get this up for the holiday because is is something I have been concerned about for a while now off and on, and maybe you have also – conservatives pushing an Article V convention. In fact, I’m going to quote a couple of sentences: “Two bodies can propose constitutional amendments: Congress or a “convention of the states” called under Article V of the Constitution. But regardless of which body proposes a constitutional amendment, an amendment does not become effective until it is ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures (38). Accordingly, any 13 state legislatures can block ratification of a constitutional amendment.
Yesterday, The 19th (though its editor) ask the question, “What will it take for America tohave a woman President?” You’re probably familiar with the concept of necessary and sufficient conditions. Well, IMO, a necessary condition would be for Democrats to sontrol the standards for primary and secondary education nationall, in all states and territories, wit enforcement, for 40 years (one generation.) But i can’t claim that would be sufficient. The 19th is a Creative Commons source, so I posted it to Democratic Underground. and put my pwn opinion in a comment. By yhe time I posted the comment there was already ne comment other than mine, and by the time I got there to read it there were two more. I must have touched a nerve.
Yes, this leads to a video – from “Legal AF” which is affiliated with Meidas Touch, although if I understand him correctly, it’s now being opened as a seperate channel. Being part of a Resistance is hard, but in the long run not being in a resistance may be harder. I have to add to what Popok says: he speaks about watching blue states go purple, and purple states go red, and by larhe margins, but he doesn’t really address why. The reason is MISOGYNY. As in 2016, misogynists managed to hide in plain sight for months, even years – and then cpme out of hiding in droves. How long are we going to ignore this? Until it kills us, like the cancer it is? I’m providing the link to the new channel, not the main link, but the one to the “Videos” page because that is the page which has all the videos in chronological order (newest first) which makes it possible to follow a complete timeline. I am not going to be posting one daily, though I shall certainly try to be following the channel daily.)
Defending Rights and Dissent sent me an email outlining their plans for the next four years. (Of course it’s requesting donations.) They didn’t provide a direct link to the content, but I’m pretty sure I found the same article. Since we are now the Resistance, you might want to read it and at least know there are places to turn (ACLU is not alone). You know, Audrey Hepburn, when she was a teenager, worked with the Resistance in the Netherlands during the Nazi occupation. She had health issues for the rest of her life – not I think because of the work, but because everyone was starving. They ate tu;lip bulbs just to survive, for instance.
This link is to the home page of New Mexico Political Report. Which means it almost certainly will not look the same to you reading this as it did to me posting it. But here re the headlines I am seeing (sorry about the all caps. I cut and pasted.):
HEINRICH WINS THIRD TERM IN SENATE
VASQUEZ WINS REELECTION TO CONGRESS IN CLOSELY FOUGHT RACE
DEMOCRATS DEFEND LARGE MAJORITIES IN STATE HOUSE, SENATE
DEMOCRATS WIN 1ST, 3RD CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICTS
SECRETARY OF STATE: 2024 ELECTIONS A SUCCESS
They are probably all still findable.
Colorado also could have done a lot worse. We still have one House seat that’s too close to call, but we did well with initiatives. The only big one we lost was trying to outlaw sport hunting of big cats. So, if you are considering to a different state, here we are. I can’t say what our job markets are like, but our prices are certainly lower than California’s.
