Open Thread May 30 2026

 Posted by at 6:10 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 302026
 

Yesterday, Malcolm used the title Milli-Vanilli-cast for his presentation. There are multiple reasons for this, one of which is that he credits Milli Vanilli for inventing alternate reality. I won’t go into other reasons, but I will recommend you avoid the National Mall between June 25th and July 10th this year. But all the information is in the first 17 minutes of the cast, so if you are curious, here’s the link. Also yesterday, a DC circuit judge ruled that the Saffron Sauron’s name must be removed from the Kennedy Center immediately. And another judge ruled that no money can be paid out from his slush fund until, and if, it is determined that it is even legal.

 

I have to share this story, although it took a while to ger it posted – it’s just too good. Wednesday night Bruce Springsteen gave a live concert attended by, among other, Joyce Vance and Mary Trump, who went together. There was a large sign on the building with a short anti-Trump** message – they ran up to it (and probably took selfies) and said – “WE are the Trump/Vance team you need!” And, you know, they are absolutely right.

Robert Reich on wealth tax. He considers it so important he is willing to vote for Tom Steyer – a billionaire – over Katie Porter because Steyer claims to support a wealth tax. I also want wealth taxes – in every state – but I don’t believe a word a billionaire says at any time, least of all when he is running for office.

From Civil Discourse. My first question was – why Chicago? Wasn’t the defamation case tried in New York? Doesn’t she live in New York? Reading farther, Joyce has the same question. (being a lawyer, however, she asked legal procedural questions first.)

I find it very difficult to accept that a sane person, or a sane party, would choose not to be part of the solution. I’s clear that the present Republican party is not part of the solution, and also that it is insane. It’s not as clear to me that the Democratic party is part of the problem – we are kind of dysfunctional just now, but that seems always to happen to a minority party. We do need to form clear goals and get a lot better at communicating listening. If we can’t listen, we won’t be able to communicate at all.

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Open Thread May 7 2026

 Posted by at 6:01 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
May 072026
 

Yesterday, my exterminator came and said all my rooms have much less activity – and so does the yard. It actually snowed a little Tuesday, which is exactly when they would try to get inside out of the cold, so that’s all good. Then Trinette came by – and it took us a while to find where the plug had come out of the computer, but we did, and it works. So I can run the disc now, and hopefully I’ll be back in business.

Thirty seven minutes of discussion about Louisiana v. Callais – and the procedural mandate SCROTUS released late this Monday (a little less if you skip the part at the beginning when knitting and animals are discussed. The first few minutes of Substack videos are always off topic because viewers don’t all join at once, and most presenters wait until at least 1000 have joined to address the topic.) Once I started watching instead of reading, I have continued when possible because watching, you can’t skip, so I don’t miss things by trying to read too fast. And also, because depth of the the presenters’ feelings on the topic come through more clearly. But if you really prefer to read it, scroll down a bit – I’ve se the link so the transcript will already be up.

Under a regime which does not care whether people live or die, nor how they suffer –this could not have happened at a worse time. Not that there is a good time, but there have been times when the federal government would at least have tried to minimize tragedies.

Robert Reich points out a billionaire who is making a case for a wealth tax. But he’s not doing it intentionally. I’ve often wondered whether, if millionaires and billionaires woul just pay their political contributions into the IRS as conscience gifts instead of giving them to politicians, we could fund Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, SNAP, and other similar programs just fine.

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Open Thread April 9 2026

 Posted by at 5:57 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Apr 092026
 

Yesterday, I heard something that I had not heard for years – but tht I have heard more than once just in the past week. A pundit on a webcast said, “I don’t want to be a Pollyanna.” The implication is that Pollyanna was an unfailing optimist. She was not. (If you want a literary optimist, go to Doctor Pangloss in Candide (Voltaire.) Pollyanna was a clear-eyed realist. What she did do was use “one weird trick” to keep herself going – keep herself afloat – when faced with bad news or bad circumstances. That technique is simple, and easy to use, and it is psychologically sound. It is to find something, even something completely unrelated, that isn’t bad – that one can feel good about. And it works. This is why my email inbox – and probably yours – keeps getting emails saying things like “Last night (referring to Tuesday), Democrats held the State Supreme Court in Wisconsin, keeping the court’s majority.” That’s the Pollyanna tidbit to help us all keep going. And that is just one example. “Count your blessings – the phrase and the song – is another. Of course Pollyanna is a fictional character, but dammit, even a fictional character does not deserve to be turned into her exact opposite. (OK, end of rant. Although I’m getting to the point where I may do one on “decimate.” Or possibly “perverse.”) The featured image to the left was produced by Iran with a nod to the Evil Emperor’s Easter “truth.” And I did finally electronically file my federal and state tax returns. Federally, I owe notheing and will receive nothing.  State, I may or may not get $19.00.

You know, this from The Conversation would have been 100% predictable, had anyone thought about it in advance. It is also IMO 100% disgusting. But don’t take it from me. Y’all have perfectly good minds.

This from POGO is old – it was originally posted in 2025, but reposted last week for fairly obvious reasons. It’s still pertinent.

This by Wajeeh Lion is details on the rescue of the pilot which took the longest. It isn’t going to affect the war in general, but it’s quite a story and will give you an idea of the hazards, and maybe also of the terrain of Iran – which is a lot more mountainous than desert-y and  even has some mountains higher than ours in Colorado – a neat trick when a nation also has sea level and at that so close to those mountains.

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Open Thread January 27 2026

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 272026
 

“Hell is empty and all the devils are here.”* Yesterday, I slept until after sunset. However, I had been up until almost sunrise, and Saturday night I had only gotten about 3 hours of sleep. I’m not kidding when I say that I’m not a morning person. That quote is from Act II of “The Tempest” where it is also a quote – Ariel is telling Prospero what the first guy said who jumped from the king’s ship when he (Ariel) made it sink in the storm. No one died in that storm, because it sank so close to shore the drew and passengers could practically walk to the shore – but it was still scary to them. We, on the other hand, have seen people die, and have seen the devils who pulled the triggers.

I can’t improve on Robert Reich. He has the facts and he explains them more clearly (and with more evidence) than I could.

I think Malcolm Nance makes a valid point here. Not that I’m certain where exactly we need to be going with it.

I have a quote here from the 19th which I cannot link to because it was just in the newsletter, and there’s no link to it, or any indication that it’s in an article at the 19th or elsewhere, but it struck me as significant:

A local doctor remembered him on social media as someone who “used to tell people off when they made sexist comments to female physicians … he made a point to teach medical residents without judgement [sic], but with a smile on his face and a joke.”

BTW, Renee Good was from Colorado. Alex Pretti’s parents live in Colorado. I am beginning to take this debacle personally.

From Rocky Mountain PBS. This is a great idea, although I am far from certain that federal Courts will uphold it, particularly in the cases of Federal Agents – who are the only kind of law enforcement likely to attempt it (unless there is another pandemic, which heaven, karma, and the cat goddesses forbid.)

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Open Thread January 21 2025

 Posted by at 6:00 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jan 212026
 

Yesterday, I slept quite late, but also took in a grocery order – a huge one – which I might not have had the strength to cope with otherwise. As it is, I didn’t get it all put away – just the perishables – and was rxhausted.

This is from Sunday’s Politizoom newsletter. but I don’t think it has lost any of its humor over those three days.

Currently, 96¢ of every dollar the government receives in tariffs is being paid either by us, or by businesses which are able (for now) to suck it up to avoid loss of custom (same source, different article). I suppose the only reason no one ever thought of this before is that no one figured out how to do it. After all, billionaires also have to eat, use the bathroom, and wear clothes just like the rest of us. But Zucman appears to have a plan which might work.

I’ve never expected anything good – or anything true – to come out of Davos. All those billionaires together – who but another billionaire would expect anything good? But – apparently – Canada is the adult in the room of the western hemisphere. I never mind if people skip things – but I hope no one will skip this.

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