Open Thread for December 24, 2021

 Posted by at 7:03 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 242021
 

Yesterday, my second cousin Ann, whom I haven’t seen for just over 21 years, phoned to say Merry Christmas. She doesn’t use email, so we have been out of touch for that long, except for Christmas cards, and we havn’t been very chatty in those. I had just finished typing today’s first short take, and I told her about it, and she said that was a wonderful Christmas gift from me. I hope everyone feels that way. I certainly thought it was a BFD.  I tried for all good news today, so I have probably left something out … but I hope I can do it again tomorrow.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Crooks and Liars – WOW: Walter Reed Scientists Develop A Universal Covid Vaccine
Quote – The achievement is the result of almost two years of work on the virus. The Army lab received its first DNA sequencing of the COVID-19 virus in early 2020. Very early on, Walter Reed’s infectious diseases branch decided to focus on making a vaccine that would work against not just the existing strain but all of its potential variants as well.
Click through for more. Of course thos would take longer than the strain-targeted vaccines to develop. I’m surprised it’s even possible. WO# indeed.

Law & Crime – Ex-Cop Kim Potter Convicted of All Charges for Shooting and Killing Daunte Wright
Quote – To convince the jury of the highest count, first-degree manslaughter, the state was required to prove that Potter caused Wright’s death during the commission of a lesser offense. Here, the lesser alleged offense was the reckless handling or use of a firearm. That lesser offense had to be proven in full and beyond a reasonable doubt as follows, according to the jury instructions the judge read before deliberations. Notably, the state was required to prove that Potter’s actions were a “conscious and intentional” act:
Click through for story. It is a step in the direction of accountability for police. Although it does sound like this one knew from the get-go that she was responsible, which is unusual.

AP News – Tribes Lacking Water see glimmer of hope with massive bill
Quote – Now, there’s a glimmer of hope in the form of a massive infrastructure bill signed last month that White House officials say represents the largest single infusion of money into Indian Country. It includes $3.5 billion for the federal Indian Health Service, which provides health care to more than 2 million Native Americans and Alaska Natives, plus pots of money through other federal agencies for water projects.
Click through fpr details and scope. It is a crying shame that native Americans, who as a groupdid more over more centuries to preseve clean and ample water supply are among the groups being cheated out of it. The bill referred to here is the infrastructure bill which already passed and has been signed into law. May it be a lifeline.

Food For Thought:
I’m not going to put the actual image here (you’ll see why) but trust me, it is very, very funny.

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Open Thread for December 23, 2021

 Posted by at 7:05 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Dec 232021
 

Yesterday just sort of melted away – gone before I knew it.  I did get some amall things accomplished, but nothing to write home about.  Of course going to see Virgil is far up front in my mond!  Oh, and Pat has company, so she’ll be a little scarce for a couple of days.

Cartoon –

Short Takes

Mother Jones – Mike Lindell Is Donating MyPillows to Kentucky Tornado Victims
Quote – But not to worry citizens of Kentucky. Mike Lindell is on the case! The founder of the MyPillow empire—and a MAGA world luminary—says he’s donating 10,000 pillows to Kentucky tornado victims. Those lucky souls may not have a house or a job, but they will now have pillows that Costco won’t sell anymore.
C,ick through for a little more insnity. This sounds like a business tax deduction to me. He will write them off as a donation at full retail value (which he could never possibly get for that many) and likely end up paying no taxes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had calculated the number to give with that in mind – just enough to zero out his taxes and not one pillow more.

Crooks and Liars – Surprise! Wingnuts Find A Vaccine They Like — Guess Why!
Quote – But apparently the J&J shot is good now because we’re saying that it isn’t — mainstream scientists have determined that it’s less effective than the mRNA vaccines against the Delta and Omicron variants, and it’s sometimes responsible for dangerous blood clots…. We don’t like the J&J shot anymore — so of course Wolf does.
Click through for more.  What is more dangerous than an educated idiot? No, that’s not the beginning of a joke – it’s a serious question.

Wonkette – Jan. 6 Committee Invites Coup- Curious Rep. Scott Perry In For A Little Chat
Quote – It’s nice of Thompson to let witnesses know up front that he’s already got ’em by the short and curlies, in case Perry wasn’t already on notice that the committee had a whole bunch of his comms after Vice Chair Liz Cheney read that text saying, “Please check your signal” during the vote to hold Mark Meadows in contempt. The Washington Post confirms that Perry sent that text to Meadows, who turned it over to the committee as a non-privileged document before he stomped off and quit cooperating. So Perry knows that Thompson and Cheney already have at least some of his comms.
Click through for more. Not that they don’t all sound alike.

Food For Thought:

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Video Thread 12/4/21

 Posted by at 11:39 am  Open Thread, Politics
Dec 042021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Trump Says Only Mobsters Plead the 5th as Trump DOJ Official Jeff Clark Prepares to…Plead the 5th

Meidas Touch – Politicsgirl on Brian Williams (I am going to miss him!)

The Lincoln Project – Work – Oh, boy, does this ever need to be seen by every American eligible to vote!

RepresentUs – How Billionaires Secretly Influence Society

Really American – Webster Reveals Two Biggest Words of 2021

Guy Finds A Stray Kitten, Bikes Around The World With Her For Two Years

Beau – Let’s talk about coats and hats….

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Video Thread 11/9/21

 Posted by at 12:13 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 092021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Once Judge Chutkan Denies Trump’s Bogus Executive Privilege Claim, Will Appellate Court Act Swiftly?

MeidasTouch – Insurrectionist Jenna Ryan who bragged she’s “definitely not going to jail” gets prison sentence

MSNBC – Even “Q” Is Disavowing Some of QAnon’s Fringe Conspiracy Theories

Really American – Ted Cruz Goes After Big Bird As Government Propagandist

Now This News – ‘Sesame Street’ Characters Get Vaccinated (this is what pissed off Ted Cruz – but you knew that.))

Rocky Mountain Mike – Brandon and Karen (parody of Mellenkamp, Jack and Diane)

Beau – Let’s talk about how Republicans plan to win in 2022 and 2024….

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Video Thread 11/6/21

 Posted by at 12:05 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Nov 062021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Federal Judge Chutkan Destroys Arguments by Donald Tump’s Lawyer on Executive Privilege.

Now This News – How Gang Leaders Are Helping Get New Zealanders Vaccinated. I like it. Progress doesn’t get made by being too chickens**t to take risks.

Really American – Congressmembers Say “‘Let’s Go Brandon”

Robert Reich – How Wealth Inequality Spiraled Out of Control

politicsrus -When Evil Came to America (pretty dramatic, but I won’t say the drama isn’t needed.)

Mrs. Betty Bowers – The United States of Freedom

Beau – Let’s talk about the FEC’s worst decision since their last one….

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Video Thread 10/27/2021

 Posted by at 12:09 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 272021
 

Glenn Kirschner – Rolling Stone Article: Members of Congress Assisted Insurrection Organizers; Gosar Dangles Pardons

Meidas Touch – Terry McAuliffe calls Glenn Youngkin ‘Trump in Khakis’

The Lincoln Project – What’s on the Ballot?

Armageddon Update – Vaccine Mandate

PBS – GOP lawmakers were ‘intimately involved’ in Jan. 6 protest planning, new report shows. So nice to see PBS getting into this.

MSNBC – Congressman Reacts To Latest Draft Of Biden’s Social Spending Plan

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump, Cowboys, Rolling Stone, and a bumpy ride….

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Open Thread for October 24, 2021

 Posted by at 7:05 am  Open Thread, Politics
Oct 242021
 

Yesterday, The opera on the radio was “Orlando” by Handel. Baroque and Bel Canto oeras (1730-1830 approx) are famous for mad scenes, but they are usually for women. This one has a male mad scene, sung by a counter tenor. Most interesting. I also put meds together for the next two weeks. Annoying, but necessary.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Washington State Rep Locked Out Because Of Failure To Get Vaccinated
Quote – You might remember this doofus from earlier this year, wearing the Yellow Star of David to equate the Holocaust with vaccine mandates.
Click through.  Gotta love it.

Democratic Underground – What was really being planned at the Willard Hotel before the January 6th insurrection?
Quote – We may soon be finding out. Also I hope we find out about all those White House meetings in November, December, and January . . .
Click through – I realize it is a bunch of tweets, but they are presented very readably and are well attributed. This is not meant to be definitive, but rather, suggestive of what may come out.

Mother Jones – Substack Is Profiting Off Anti-Mask and Anti-Vaccine Newsletters
Quote – There’s one less frequently discussed way in which Substack actually might be endangering democracy: It’s become a conduit for public disinformation during a historic pandemic. Indeed, my search of Substack returned dozens of newsletters that suggested that vaccines and masks were ineffective and dangerous, and that “the media” had exaggerated the harms of COVID-19. Many of the newsletters that I found insisted that the government was suppressing evidence in favor of treatments that scientists have shown to be ineffective, like hydroxychloroquine and Ivermectin. Other Substack newsletters made similar claims about unproven supplements and other fringe remedies.
Click through for story. Social media is the modern nin-headed Lernean Hydra. Where is our Hercules?

Food for Thought –

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Open Thread for October 19, 2021

 Posted by at 6:54 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Oct 192021
 

Yesterday, I did sleep in,and I feel much more rested. I hope I can translate that into fewer typos – or at the very least, more easily interpreted typos. We shall see.

Cartoon – Another prescient one from 2013

Short Takes –

Crooks and Liars – Oath Keepers’ Jan. 6 Trial Delayed Because Evidence Keeps Rolling In
Quote – The federal judge overseeing the Oath Keepers conspiracy case in the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection ordered their trial delayed this week, primarily because of the overwhelming amount of evidence still being produced in their cases. Though the delay was expected, its reasons are stark reminders that Jan. 6 will be one of the most complex prosecutions in history and that the investigation remains very active as more evidence piles up. There are likely some very big shoes still to drop.
Click through for examples and more explanation. I know it’s tough. We don’t hear much if at all about people being impatient and frustrated about Al Capone … but if there had been an internet and social media then, I’ll bet we would have.

Buzzfeed – “DANGER WARNING”: WOMEN SAY MADISON CAWTHORN HARASSED THEM IN COLLEGE
Quote – BuzzFeed News spoke with more than three dozen people, including more than two dozen former students, their friends, and their relatives, who described or corroborated instances of sexual harassment and misconduct on campus, in Cawthorn’s car, and at his house near campus. Four women told BuzzFeed News that Cawthorn, now a rising Republican star, was aggressive, misogynistic, or predatory toward them. Their allegations include calling them derogatory names in public in front of their peers, including calling one woman “slutty,” asking them inappropriate questions about their sex lives, grabbing their thighs, forcing them to sit in his lap, and kissing and touching them without their consent.
Click through for story. Like other Republican politicians, this dude is a real piece of work.

Yes, Colin Powell Was Fully Vaccinated. He Was Also Seriously Immunocompromised.
Quote – Here’s another bit of nuance that I haven’t seen anyone really talking about but seems the most significant: The reason Colin Powell died of COVID-19 is that he caught it—which meant that it was still circulating among people he had contact with. This point may seem obvious, but too often we forget that one of the greatest risk factors for contracting COVID-19 is community spread. The more people around you who have the disease, the more likely you are to catch it.
Click through for some truth. I saw one meme or tweet which said “Colin Powell did not die because he was vaccinated. He died because you weren’t.”

Food for Thought –

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