![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/0611Cartoon.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYesterday, the radio opera was “Der Fliegende Holl\u00e4nder” (The Flying Dutchman”). This was the earliest of his operas to feature the theme of a man’s redemption through a woman’s love by means of her death. Yes, that’s totally nuts. But he wasn’t alone – literature, music and art all had influential practitioners in 19th century Europe who were obsessed with this idea. Most of his operas after this one riffed on the theme. Exceptios would be “Lohengrin” (he doesn’t need redeeming, and Elsa doesn’t die – maybe) and the Ring Cycle (unless Brynhilde’s immolation redeems Siegfried – but he’s already dead when that happens.) But I digress.\u00a0 In any case, the music of the Dutchman is impressive. It was written before he fine-tuned his “leitmotif” system but is already characterized by tone painting. A lot of music has been written by a lot of people purportedly depicting storms at sea, but Wagner’s in this opera is the one that convinces me. Senta is self-destructive and as dunb as a MAGAt, but at least she doesn’t take anyone else down with her, and her music convincingly depicts her obsession. And so on.<\/p>\n
Also yesterday I received a petition from Move On titled “Convict Trump” I was shocked. I had to go to their website to send a message, but I thought it was necessary. Here’s what I said: “Have you lost your minds? No, I’m not going to sign a “convict Trump**” petition. Only a jury can convict Trump** (or anyone else), and they are not supposed to have any outside influence. Sending a jury a petition like this is jury tampering. Unless he makes a plea deal – that would result in a conviction – but do we really want that? Come back to me when you have a petition which is Constitutional. This one isn’t.”<\/p>\n
Cartoon – 11 0611Cartoon.jpg<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Short Takes –<\/p>\n
Colorado Public Radio – Sen. Michael Bennet wants to strengthen the watersheds that help protect clean drinking water<\/a> The Conversation – Forts Cavazos, Barfoot and Liberty \u2014 new names for army bases honor new heroes and lasting values, instead of Confederates<\/a> The 19th – Could access to child care be the key to helping parents clear arrest warrants?<\/a> Food For Thought Yesterday, the radio opera was “Der Fliegende Holl\u00e4nder” (The Flying Dutchman”). This was the earliest of his operas to feature the theme of a man’s redemption through a woman’s love by means of her death. Yes, that’s totally nuts. But he wasn’t alone – literature, music and art all had influential practitioners in 19th century […]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":50381,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35,3,5],"tags":[4408,3704,5461,3723,3866,4115,4544],"class_list":["post-52068","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-open-thread","category-personal","category-politics","tag-armed-forces","tag-cartoon","tag-child-care","tag-climate-change","tag-history","tag-justice","tag-water","category-35-id","category-3-id","category-5-id","post-seq-1","post-parity-odd","meta-position-corners","fix"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52068","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=52068"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52068\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=52068"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=52068"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=52068"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nQuote – The bill reauthorizes the USFS\u2019s Water Source Protection Program (WSPP), which helps fund projects that prevent pollution at the source, usually by restoring forest health and watersheds. It would increase funding for the program to $30 million per year for the next five years for work done in partnership with local communities, water utilities or agricultural producers. WSPP also tries to prioritize projects that focus on drinking water or improve resilience to wildfire or climate change.
\nClick through for story<\/a>. I’m certainly aware of watersheds. But it never occurred to me what, besides lack of precipitation, might threaten them, nor of what could be done to keep them strong. D’oh! So i’m very glad to know that I have been voting for a Senator who does know.<\/p>\n
\nQuote – The renamings so far have come off without controversy \u2013 and with no one seriously defending why the bases should continue honoring Confederates. As Trevor Noah said on \u201cThe Daily Show,\u201d \u201cImagine being a Black soldier training at a base that is named after somebody who didn\u2019t even think of you as a human being.\u201d Celebrities popular with conservatives have praised the base redesignations, too. For example, Mel Gibson applauded renaming Fort Benning for Col. Moore, whose memoir was the basis for \u201cWe Were Soldiers,\u201d a 2002 film starring Gibson.
\nClick through for details<\/a>. How many people know more than one or two names of Hitler’s henchment? Honoring Confederate generals is not history – it’s just disgusting. And if even Mel Gibson – not just a conservative favorite but a – not terribly nice person – doesn’t mind, then really no one should.<\/p>\n
\nQuote – Cierra was among dozens of people who came out in early June for the so-called warrant clinic, one in a series of nationwide events that aims to address active warrants, usually those tied to outstanding traffic violations and misdemeanors. The periodic one-day events can be life-changing. People with lifted warrants can get back a driver\u2019s license. They can apply for jobs. They can seek services that help with housing and food insecurity. They can also vote. \u201cWe are adding capacity to the justice system,\u201d said Anza Becnel, the creator of the warrant clinics and the founder and executive director of Growing Real Alternatives Everywhere (GRAE), a nonprofit that helps organize the clinics. \u201cWe are adding capacity to things that we\u2019ve identified that the community needs.\u201d
\nClick through for more<\/a>. If you didn’t realize this was a problem … you’re not alone … and you’re probably white.<\/p>\n
\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/killed.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.7thstep.org\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Steal.jpg\")
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"