Open Thread for June 24, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 242021
 

Yesterday was quiet again. And a slow news day, which sound good, but also sends me scrambling. Colleen, sending every good wish to you for smooth surgery tomorrow, and a speedy and smooth recovery.

Cartoon

Short Takes

The Hill – Socialist India Walton scores upset victory in Buffalo mayoral primary
Quote – “We set out about a year ago to do exactly what we did. We knew that this race was going to require help from outside of our local geographic area; we knew that we needed to garner national attention to challenge a 16-year, heavily entrenched incumbent, and the people spoke,” she said on CNN.
Click through for more, though not a lot more. Being elected mayor is exactly how young, Democratic Socialist Bernard Sanders got his start in politics.

The Guardian – Michigan Republicans find no voter fraud and say Trump claims ‘ludicrous’
Quote – The Michigan Republican report released on Wednesday followed 28 hours of legislative hearings starring local and national pro-Trump conspiracy theorists such as former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani. The report labeled many of their claims “ludicrous” and called on the state Democratic attorney general to open investigations into those who may have profited from making false claims.
Click through for more.

The New Yorker – Mitch McConnell Warns That Voting Bill Would Bring U.S. to Brink of Democracy
Quote – Noting that the word “democracy” originated in ancient Greece, he vowed, “I will not sit idly by and watch a foreign form of government sneak across our border.”
Click through for straight news story.

Food for Thought

Share

Video Thread 6/22/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 222021
 

Glenn Kirschner – WAPO: Weisselberg & Trump Frequenting Trump Tower-DA Vance’s Next Move May be Indicting Weisselberg

Represent Us – Now that Crooks and Liars have pointed out Republicans are throwing fits, I need to share what the fits are about. Rachel has also responded.

Titus (with Bradley) Satire “Press Conference vs. Press Conference” – Well, I laughed out loud (more than once)

Corey Ryan Forrester – “COVIS” vaccine – too subtle for Republicans?

Rocky Mountain Mike – Life With Barack (Right Wing Radio Told Me)

Beau – Let’s talk about Portland cops resigning and what to do…. None of this would have surprised TomCat – unless it were the unanimity of Mayor, Judge, and Prosecutor, which would have pleased him.

Share

Video Thread 6/20/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 202021
 

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Brief Says “Proud Boy” Defendant Committed Act of “Terrorism.” This is What Trump Incited

The Lincoln Project – Juneteenth

Now This News – Teen Receives Racist Attacks After Anti-Racist Graduation Speech

Ring of Fire – Former Nixon Lawyer Says Trump’s Behavior Was WAY Worse Than Nixon’s

Thom Hartmann – Choose: Voting Rights or The US Chamber? (w/ Karl Frisch)

What Happens When You Leave a Barrel Hanging in a forest

Beau – Juneteenth and reactions to it

(*On You Tube, I can cut miscellaneous stuff at the beginning .. but not at the end. So I like to let you know when you can stop one early without losing content.)

Share

Video Thread 6/15/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 152021
 

Glenn Kirschner – America Is Back:

The Lincoln Project (released yesterday)

The Franklin Project – Good leaders keep us on track. Good citizens keep them in check.

Now This News – Ohio GOP Backs New Restrictive Voting Bill – MY SOS tells it like it is.

Puppet Regime – Authoritarian Airlines

Liberal Redneck – Flag Day

Corey Ryan Forrester – an a capella country song for Pride month (NSFW)

Beau – Let’s talk about Trump vs McConnell in 2022….

Share

Open Thread for June 15, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jun 152021
 

Well, still a little bit of tenderness and temperature around the injection site – but my actual normal temperature is so low that slight increas is probably right around normal. I’m now feeling confident and won’t mention it again unless something negative happens. So – now one to go. And now to business.

Cartoon

Short Takes

New York Times – Warnings of Democracy in Peril
Quote: [Senator Angus] King [I-ME] said the only reason voters lacked confidence in the voting system was that Republicans — especially Mr. Trump — told them for months that it was rigged, despite all evidence to the contrary, and now continued to insist that there were abuses in the process that must be fixed. “That’s like pleading for mercy as an orphan after you killed both your parents,” he said.
Click through for the full article. There is a paywall but you get one or two free articles a month.

The 19th – Barack Obama: Women have found themselves “in an impossible situation” – from a socially distanced interview
Quote – I’m just incredibly proud of the kind of human beings Sasha and Malia have become. Of course, like all of us, they followed the protests around our country. They got involved. And we had conversations about all of it. My advice to them is the same as it is to all young people, which is that protesting — raising public awareness, putting a spotlight on injustice, making the powers that be uncomfortable — that kind of civil disobedience couldn’t be more important. Throughout our history, that has often been the only way to get the political system to pay attention to marginalized communities. But eventually, I tell them, movements have to be translated into laws and policies — and in a democracy, that only happens when we elect government officials who are responsive to our demands. Basically, my advice is to reject the false choice between participating in protests and politics. Do both!
Click through for the rest of what made it in to the interview.

Rolling Stone – Al Franken – Tax the Rich! Also the Very Affluent! But Mainly the Rich!
Quote: Biden is eager for the infrastructure bill to be a bipartisan effort, however, and has been negotiating with Republicans to find a deal everyone can feel good about. But if the Obama years are any indication, Republicans will only feel good if a Democrat in the White House fails. So we shouldn’t hold our breath. Democrats can pass an infrastructure bill through the fast-track reconciliation process if they need to, which only requires a simple majority of 51 votes to pass, which still may prove difficult but is a lot more doable. Because Mitch McConnell naturally doesn’t like any of Biden’s big plans one bit.
Click througfh for a very clearly explained article.

Food for Thought

Share

Open Thread for June 12, 2021

 Posted by at 7:00 am  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 122021
 

Well, alrighty then.  I get my first dose of CoViD vaccine today at 3:30 pm my time, and the second four weeks later, July 10, also at 3:30 pm.    Yesterday was a very busy day, but I managed to get that set up.

Cartoon

Short Takes

The Hill – House Judiciary Democrats call on DOJ to reverse decision on Trump defense. They actually signed this June 7, so it has taken a day or two to get into circulation.
Quote (from the letter, quoted in the article): “Are we to understand that federal employees are free to engage in private tortious conduct for personal gain, so long as they maintain federal employment and can assert some pretextual benefit to the public for their actions?” they asked.
Click through to the article here. And/or click through to the letter here – it’s only a page – the other three pages are signatures and CCs. And the signatures are those of some of the most wonderful people in Congress. It made my heart swell reading just them.

The Pulitzer Committee (or Board or whatever it has) has come a long way since the 1930s when everyone involved with “Of Thee I Sing” received a Pulitzer except George Gershwin, because there was then no category for music. There’s no category for this either – so they made an honorary award – for changing the world.
19th – Darnella Frazier, the teen who filmed George Floyd’s murder, wins honorary Pulitzer
Quote: The act reflected many of the core tenets of journalism: Afflicting the comfortable, shining a light on wrongdoing, bearing witness on behalf of the marginalized, speaking truth to power. It was not her job, but Frazier described it as her duty when she testified at Chauvin’s trial earlier this year.
Click through for the full story. You may want a hanky.

News Corpse at Daily Kos – Trump’s Love Letter to Putin Prior to Meeting with Biden is Utterly Demented – and Treasonous. “News Corpse” is a Community member, who has top “mojo” (in other words, has earned Daily Kos’s trust), has published books to their credit, and their own blog.I haven’t followed their work as much as I have that of some others, but I have not found (or seen called out) any inaccuracies in what I have read. I’d say this article is sound.
Quote: Trump’s new “Save America” (from democracy?) message is like a greatest hits collection of delusional days gone by. He appears to have crammed every psychotic concoction he could think of into one run-on rejection of reality. However, it is also a disturbing admission that he has greater trust for America’s enemies than for its leaders and defenders. What follows is an annotated examination of Trump’s profoundly anti-American screed:
Click through for the full article.

Extra short take: Merrick Garland gave an address on civil and voting rights. Now This News has it on YouTube. It takes over a half hour for it to start, so I have doctored the URL to take you right to where he starts talking. Now This News usually has CC, but this doesn’t. Sorry. I hope some sound news source will pick up a transcript.

Food for Thought:

Share

Video Thread 6/10/21

 Posted by at 1:00 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jun 102021
 

Glenn Kirschner – DOJ Announces it will Defend Donald Trump in Defamation Lawsuit brought by E. Jean Carroll this week is turning into a workshop on how decent people express anger. Glenn makes his voice into silk dripping with sarcasm.

Meidas Touch – with Stuart Stevens

The Lincoln Project – The Line

BARF BAG ALERT! Campaign “ad” from Lauren Boebert. Yecccch!

Liberal Redneck on Manchin

Now This News – Magawa the Landmine-Sniffing Rat is Retiring a Hero (Just a little break. There are actually maany of these rats and the lives they have saved, and are saving, are priceless.)

Beau – What National Security REALLY needs

Share
 Older Entries  Newer Entries