Open Thread August 21, 2022

 Posted by at 6:39 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 212022
 

Yesterday, the opera was “Boris Godunov” by Mussorgsky, from the Vienna State Opera. The advance promo described it as a combination of historical drama and psychological study, the main character being “hauned by [thoughts of] the child he murdered to gain the throne.” Well, Mussorgsky may well have seen it that way, and if so, it’s to his credit. But all one has to do today in the US is look around to see that people who will do anything for money and power (especially power) are never hauntes by thoughts of people whom they hurt on the way up.The only thing that troubles them is fear of being caught out and facing consequences. Interpreted that way the opera does, I think, work (and it also helps if one doesn’t know any more Russian than “da” and “nyet.”) I doubt, however, that Putin would be impressed. Fear of being caught implies fear of consequences, and he appears to be pretty well insulated from consequences.

Cartoon –

Short Takes – another “News of the Weird” day

Axios – Denver Art Museum brings back its “Singing Sinks” exhibit
Quote – The faucets — found in the bathrooms of the Sie Welcome Center on Level 2 of the freshly renovated Martin Building — belt out a harmonious chorus of “Row Row Row Your Boat” as you wash your hands. Each sink is equipped with an interactive sound system that pipes in the music through the drain, offering a “voice in the plumbing” effect.
Click through for background. Silly as this may sound, it has won the museum an award for “Best Museum Bathrooms.”

Daily Beast – Bodies Discovered in Suitcases by New Zealand Family Are Children
Quote – Vaaelua said initial postmortem examinations of the bodies revealed the remains found in two suitcases are that of two primary school-aged children. “Early indications suggest these children may have been deceased for a number of years before being found last week,” Vaaelua said in a statement obtained by The Daily Beast.
Click through for story. Very little is actually known, and they are being cagey with what they do know until they can establish a next of kin

Food For Thought

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Open Thread August 17, 2022

 Posted by at 7:19 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Aug 172022
 

Yesterday was pretty quiet. And restful. My biggest physical achievement was taking a bag ou to the trash (from the porch) and a bag out to the recyclables (from the house.) I don’t expect to be putting either bin out this week – possibly recyclables next week if I get very ambitious, but I have a lot else going on, so maybe not. Also it was cooler, on account of rain. Lots of floods – mostly fladh floods – all over Colorado. My house has 99 problems, but flash flooding isn’t one of them. I’m on top of enough of a hill thatit’s beyond unlikely a flash flood would flood here. I tried to rest wnough to have more energy today – but we’ll see. Did everyone catch Al Franken as guest host of Jimmy Kimmel Live last night? If not, there should at least be some cuts up here. Katie Porter was a guest. How can you top that?
https://www.youtube.com/jkl/videos

Cartoon – 17 Hendrix loaded

Short Takes –

Mother Jones (MoJo Wire) – We Didn’t Deserve Freya the Walrus
Quote – But as Freya’s legend grew, more and more folks wanted to see her up close. As the New York Times points out, the Oslo Fjord is full of water-going recreationists in the summer, and people started swimming with Freya, taking her picture, and even throwing things at her—so much that she had begun chasing off paddle boarders and kayakers. The Norwegian Directorate of Fisheries warned the public to stay away from Freya, for their safety and hers. Last week, officials said they were weighing several options, including relocating Freya, but warned she might have to be killed if people wouldn’t listen.
Click through for sad story. Some of us, I think, did deserve her – but those who did not were, and are, out of control.

AP News – Some Capitol rioters try to profit from their Jan. 6 crimes
Quote – Facing prison time and dire personal consequences for storming the U.S. Capitol, some Jan. 6 defendants are trying to profit from their participation in the deadly riot, using it as a platform to drum up cash, promote business endeavors and boost social media profiles…. The Justice Department, in some instances, is trying to claw back money that rioters have made off the insurrection…. Many rioters have paid a steep personal price for their actions on Jan. 6. At sentencing, rioters often ask for leniency on the grounds that they already have experienced severe consequences for their crimes.
Click through for many examples – but they all sound like the apocryphal dude who murdered both his parents, then begged the court for mercy because he was an orphan.

Food For Thought

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Video Thread 8/15/22

 Posted by at 12:16 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 152022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Search warrant shows Trump’s classified documents crimes. It’s time to hold him accountable

Meidas Touch – BREAKING: Top Republicans lie and claim NUCLEAR SECRETS ‘planted at Mar-a-Lago’ and NOT A BIG DEAL

The Lincoln Project – Last Week in the Republican Party Augugt 9, 2022

No Dem Left Behind – The U.S. Economy is Doing Great Globally…

MSNBC – News from Mallory McMorrow – “What Happened In Kansas Is Going To Happen Here In Michigan.”

Beau – Let’s talk about China extending their exercises….

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Video Thread 8/13/22

 Posted by at 11:41 am  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 132022
 

In Thursday’s video thread, the video from Beau was called “Let’s talk about an important message from New York. In case anyone missed it, that message was “Polio is back.” He goes into much more detail, of course.

 

Glenn Kirschner – Donald Trump takes the 5th, while the FBI takes Republican Scott “Pardon Me” Perry’s cell phone.

Meidas Touch – BREAKING: Texas Paul REACTS to attack on FBI building in Ohio amid Republican Rhetoric

The Lincoln Project – Alike

MSNBC – Trump’s Raid Nightmare: The Feds Indicted The Powerful For Spilling State Secrets

Al Franken – The Case for Prosecuting Trump (Preaching to the choir? Sure.Preaching for the choir to sing louder, add some trumpets, drums, and cymbals to the mix. And take that to the voting booth.)

Beau – Let’s talk about Pelosi’s Taiwan trip….

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Video Thread 8/8/22

 Posted by at 11:54 am  Open Thread, Politics
Aug 082022
 

Glenn Kirschner – Former US AG Eric Holder says Trump “likely WILL be indicted by the DOJ.” Here’s why he’s right

Meidas Touch – Intelligence Expert REACTS to far-right Prime Minister of Hungry’s keynote speech at CPAC in Texa

The Lincoln Project – Ron Johnson on Social Security

Ring of Fire – Dr. Oz’s Failing Campaign Is Freaking Out The Republican Party

Ojeda Live – NATO is a NECESSITY Against Russia

Beau – Let’s talk about Pat Cipollone’s subpoena…

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Video Thread 7/27/22

 Posted by at 12:10 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 272022
 

Glenn Kirschner – It’s time for Merrick Garland/DOJ to take some OVERT law enforcement action on Trump’s crimes

Meidas Touch – Texas Paul REACTS to Media Freakout over Biden Saudi Fist Bump

The Lincoln Project – Courage

VoteVets – Bipartisan MI07 Bipartisan doesn’t have to mean wishy-washy. It can mean getting tings done. At least 5 (all so far, but they may not be done) of the Representatives being featured by VoteVets in this series are women. I picked this one over Elain Luria both because this video os the newest, and because the issue is vital to democracy.

Ojeda Live – New On-Line Video Series: Around the World with Richard Ojeda!

Beau – Let’s talk about the memo, Garland, and Trump…. (volume is low but CC is good0

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Video Thread 7/12/22

 Posted by at 12:04 pm  Open Thread, Politics
Jul 122022
 

Glenn – Trump & Bannon collude in an attempt to give Bannon a bogus defense to his criminal contempt charges

Twitter – Ohio Senate candidate Tim Ryan campaign ad

CNN – Jeffrey Clark raid footage

Ojeda Live – A Recounting of Herschel Walker’s Lies

The Funniest Conversations People Have Overheard In Courthouses (9 min and worth every secod)

Beau – Let’s talk about Sweden, Finland, and NATO….

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Open Thread July 9, 2022

 Posted by at 6:52 am  Open Thread, Personal, Politics
Jul 092022
 

Yesterday, I was grieved to learn from Heather Cox Richardson’s newsletter (it comes in the middle of the night) that Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of JJapan, had been shot, and even more grieved to learn he had died from it. I put the news in a comment in yesterda’s OT, adding I had (politically speaking) fallen in love with him upon seeing his reaction to Trump**. I went looking for the picture, and eventually found it, and I reproduce it above the cartoon to refresh everyon’e memories. Later, I received an almost complete grocery delivery – no substitutions, only one item shorted, and I received two of it out of four ordered – so that was a success. I got it mostly put away within an hour.

Cartoon –

Short Takes –

The Conversation – Abortion decision cherry-picks history – when the US Constitution was ratified, women had much more autonomy over abortion decisions than during 19th century
Quote – But in his rather selective forays into history, Alito doesn’t ask what to me, as a historian, constitutes a set of fundamental questions: Why was abortion eventually criminalized during that time? What was the broad cultural and intellectual context of that period? And, more important, is there something peculiar about the 19th century? As far as women’s bodies and abortion are concerned, the 19th century saw a decrease in the trust in, and power of, women themselves.
Click through for history. For most of my life, it appeared to be that someone who had risen to the level of a Justice on the Supreme court may not have known everything, but they did know enough not to discuss, particularly in decisions, anything they knew nothing about.

Crooks & Liars – Trumpers Sure Seem Happy That Georgia Guidestones Were Destroyed
Quote – Part of a mysterious Georgia monument was destroyed by an explosive device on Wednesday, and conservatives seem really happy about that even though it’s an illegal act which prompted an active police investigation in Elberton, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. And now the monument has been leveled.
Click through for more. I had never heard of them either – the last time I was in Georigia was around 1970, and they didn’t go up until 1979-1980. Really, the only mystery is probably who paid for them. They wre for pretty sure supposed to give guidance after a nuclear war destroyed almost everything. Wikipedia has good details and Beau did a video on them. But RWNJ’s never met a conspiracy theory they didn’t love.

Food For Thought

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