Open Thread May 29 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 292025
 

Yesterday, Various people were still talking about Scott Pelley’s commencement speech at Wake Forest, mostly in glowing terms (although I’m sure MAGAts had other opinions.) Wonkette linked to a transcript of it, so you can judge for yourself. I think it’s worth the time. Also, the Nature Conservancy shared aome footage on the mating rituals of the greater prairie-chicken, including sound. It’s funny, because it’s kind of a little allegory of males of every species – or so it appeared to me and Trinette. You may not agree.

Yes, this from Joyce Vance is from Tuesday. She is concerned that it isn’t (or wasn’t then) getting much if any coverage, and she may still be correct about that.

John Pavlovitz would be the first to tell you that he struggles with major depression (and, yes he has sought and received treatment for it, with all that implies. If you’re not familiar with the concept of the wounded healer, you can look at him and get an idea.) So the current regime is terribly hard on him – as of course it is on us. But, as he points out, joyis not just feeling good – it is also a weapon- a defensive weapon, but still a weapon.

Not really news from the Brennan Center – at least, not to anyone with two brain cells to rub together. But not being news does not mean it isn’t still a problem, especially since we have a modern Roger Taney SCOTUS.

Share

Open Thread May 21 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 212025
 

Yesterday, As I was going through my emails looking for news, my radio station began to play Gustav Mahler’s “Resurrection” symphony. And it put into my mind another comparison between Jesus and the Mango Monarch. Jesus said, “I am the resurrection.” Trump**(*) said, “I am your retribution.” It might make a decent meme, but I don’t think I could stand the process of looking for the right pictures – of either of them actually – Christian art can be (not always , but you’re bound to trip over it) so saccharine I’d worry about getting diabetes.

This by Dan Froomkin is also from last week. It’s from Substack, but if you look at the URL, you will see it’s a bit different from the usual Substack URL. I don’t know whether Froomkin or Substack made that decision, but I concur with it.

Also from last week, this one from the F* News. You may know about the MRFF (Military Religious Freedom Foundation) – I did – or not, but you may not know about The Orders Project – I did not – and both are doing excellent and important work. Also, there were very few comments when I read it, but 50% of them expressed relief to learn they exist – and we all need some relief – not complacency, I don’t mean that, but we don’t need to feel like everything depends on us alone either, when in fact there are other people doing work, and in many cases work which is critical but for which we may not be suited.

Share

Open Thread April 2 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 022025
 

Yesterday, both Steve Schmidt and Wonkette singled out the same Senator for praise – Cory Booker. Both are on our side, but they are not the same, so I find this noteworthy. Both were focused on his talking filibuster. I hope this praise will both call attention to how many voters approve of bold action, and inspire other Congressional Dems to do more of it. I had already noticed that it is starting to look as though the Tangerine Palpitine’s regime is getting a little pushback, and likely to get more, from at least some of the Courts. Jen Rubin at the Contrarian ran through some of it on Monday – and pointed out that there is more she did not mention. I am not (nor is she) suggesting we count on the courts to save us. For one thing, the Courts themselves will need loud public support. They won’t get it from this regime.

If I’m reading Harry correctly, and I think I am, he is making the point here that it’s not the individual lies, however disgusting and calumnious they may be, that make the Mango Monster’s regime so very dangerous, as it is the lack of respect for truth itself which is so fatally destructive to democracy. And in the long run he is certainly correct. I really think there are way too many Americans who don’t care much about truth in the abstract and don’t realize how important insistence on the truth is to all our (and our children’s and grandchildren’s) futures. And, incidentally, the House gave its middle finger to Mike Johnson over proxy voting.

And, here at The F* News, is exhibit A. The headline is absolutely correct. The number of people who are saying so (and that includes God knows how many people said so once but no longer are) is staggering. If you give up on truth, you give up on literally everything.

Share

Open Thread September 2 2024

 Posted by at 6:02 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Sep 022024
 

Yesterday, Faithful America declared the week which begins today and runs through the 8th to be Christians Against Trump** Week. Now that’s the kind of CAT person you don’t even have to like cats to be. Sane Christians with any pet, or no pets, are welcome. The idea is to use social media for good to spread the truth that Chrisutanity is not about Trump**, and what it is about. Most of us are probably not on social media of any kind, but if anyone is, this is the week to spread truth on it.

Robert Reich is working on another video series whic, like “DEBUNKED!” will air on Fridays, starting September 6. It’ll be called “Spreading the Truth about the 2024 Election,” which seems a little unwieldy, but accurate. There’s more information at the link. I will, as I did with “DEBUNKED!” link to each installment in Saturday’s Open Thread.

This from Talking Points Memo is by itself, at least for me, more than enough reason to defeat DonOLD at all costs. But it’s scary. If I wanted to illustrate this story, it should likely be witha picture of a projector, because this is all projection. Violence is always from people with an authoritarian stand, It’s neither of the right nor of the left. But here in the west authoritarians have drifted strongly to the right, because a righ wing economy produces de facto oligarchy, which assists establishing authoritarian rule.Personally, I have observed violence at leftist protests, but not from the left. Where it has occurred, it has come from right wing counterprotesters.

Share

Video Thread 9/2/2023

 Posted by at 12:02 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Sep 022023
 

Glenn Kirschner – Disgraced lawyer & RICO defendant Sidney Powell files an ABSURD “legal brief” in her Georgia case

Farron Balanced – Lauren Boebert In Trouble As Poll Proves Her District Hates Her

Joe Biden – Catch A Break

Liberal Redneck – Trump’s Big Week

The Telegraph – Howdy Doody: Police pull over man carrying enormous bull in his car

Beau – Let’s talk about a question of accuracy and dissonance….

Share

Open Thread for July 6, 2021

 Posted by at 7:09 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 062021
 

Housekeeping note – I am having my internet go in and out, and my phone line has so much static that it drowns out everything else, including the dial tone (and that’s loud.) If I should disappear, I’ll be back. But I’m hoping, with patience, to keep to the schedule. Sure glad I reached Squatch before this happened!

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Hill – Doug Emhoff carves out path as first second gentleman
Quote – Emhoff has headlined regular events but still kept a low profile in the media, striking a balance between breaking barriers as the first male second spouse while also fulfilling the role in a way second ladies have done traditionally. Observers say the lack of media attention is a sign of success.
Click through for the story.

Aeon – Lies and honest mistakes
Quote – [E]ven honest journalists and careful scholars will sometimes get things wrong. Honest mistakes are made. Once flagged, these errors will be immediately corrected and acknowledged; there might be some hard questions asked about process failures, too. But there’s a very big difference between an error and a lie – and between ‘fake news’ and ‘false news’. A fake is always false, and was intended to be. But a falsehood is not always a fake; it could simply be a mistake.
Click through and maybe bookmark. This understanding is how I was brought up, and it seems to me that it’s not the way that most people think. But I think it’s important for us to strive for and, maybe more importantly, to protect ourselves against increasingly effective ways of spreading falsehoods.

AP News – Jimmy, Rosalynn Carter mark 75 years of ‘full partnership’
Quote – Carter has said often since leaving the Oval Office in 1981 that the most important decision he ever made wasn’t as head of state, commander in chief or even executive officer of a nuclear submarine in the early years of the Cold War. Rather, it was falling for Eleanor Rosalynn Smith in 1945 and marrying her the following summer. “My biggest secret is to marry the right person if you want to have a long-lasting marriage,” Carter said.
Click through for more. Many things in the news today will continue to be in the news. But it will be a long time before we see anything like this again. (P.S. George Burns said essentially the same thing – “Marry Gracie.”)

Food for Thought

I’m not trying to throw shade on Canada. It could just ae easily been a picture of the US – or anywhere, really.

Share